Elena Genova, Marco Pelin, Katsunori Sasaki*, Fengming Yue, Gaetana Lanzi, Stefania Masneri, Alessandro Ventura, Gabriele Stocco and Giuliana Decorti Pages 2826 - 2839 ( 14 )
Understanding the biological and molecular processes underlying human pathologies is fundamental in order to develop innovative approaches to treat or prevent them. Among the technologies that could provide innovative disease models, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is one of the most promising. Indeed, one application of this technology is patient-specific disease modeling. iPSCs obtained by reprogramming patients’ cells collected from accessible tissues, have the unique capability to differentiate, under an adequate stimulus, into any human cell type. In particular, iPSCs technology can be applied to study drug adverse effects, that is a key part of the drug discovery process. Indeed, drug induced adverse effects are among the most common causes that lead to abandon the development of new candidate therapeutic molecules, increasing the cost of drug discovery. An innovative strategy that could be used in drug design to solve drug attrition rate, and to establish innovative pharmacological models, could be the application of iPSCs technology in the early stage of the drug discovery process to model druginduced adverse events. In this review, recently developed disease models based on iPSCs will be discussed, with a particular focus on available models of drugs’ adverse effect, in particular hepatic/pancreatic toxicity.
Induced pluripotent stem cells, disease modeling, drug adverse effects, pediatric patients, therapy personalization, innovative pharmacological models, hepatotoxicity, pancreatitis.
PhD School in Reproduction and Developmental Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Department of Histology and Embryology, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, Department of Histology and Embryology, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, Nocivelli Institute for Molecular Medicine and Spedali Civili, Brescia, Nocivelli Institute for Molecular Medicine and Spedali Civili, Brescia, Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Trieste, Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Trieste