Generation and characterization of blood-derived induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines from the Lifelines Biobank

This project validates the Lifelines biobank as a source for induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by reprogramming 10 lines derived from stored blood samples of healthy LifeLines participants. Participants (and their ‘healthy’ status) will be selected Victor Guryev. PBMCs will be isolated and subjected to erythroblast expansion to enhance reprogramming efficiency. These expanded cells will then be reprogrammed using a non-integrating Sendai virus vector to ensure genomic safety. Generated lines will be characterized at passage 10 via RNA-seq to confirm pluripotency markers and assess differentiation potential into all three germ layers. Comparative transcriptomic analysis using PCA plots against our internal iPSC dataset will verify genomic integrity. This work establishes a high-quality, genetically diverse resource for future disease modeling and drug screening.