Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Toxicology and Drug Discovery - Period 5 Social Sciences & Humanities Program Spring 2023 Semester - Amsterdam

Studying the effects of pharmaceuticals in human cell culture systems, offers a number of advantages over animal experiments, including the use of human material and the possibility to use mechanistic approaches to understand the mechanism of action or mechanism of toxicity of a compound. In particular the use of iPSC opens exciting new avenues, as they provide unlimited material, are of non-cancerous origin, and can be collected/generated from individual living patients. iPSC can be generated from somatic cells, e.g. from skin fibroblast or blood cells, and in the last decade, many patient-specific iPSC have been made, including cells that carry SNPs or mutations in drug transporters or metabolizing enzymes. These cells can then be differentiated into target cells that are important in toxicology, including cells types of the liver, kidney, heart and intestine, and employed in toxicology studies. Topics addressed in this course include, basic cell culture techniques, iPSC reprogramming and differentiation strategies, and a basic understanding in developmental biology and physiology of the target organs known to be involved in toxicity. In addition, strengths and limitations of iPSC for their potential application of studying toxicity and personalized medicine will be discussed.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) awards credits based on the ECTS system. Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.