Differentiation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells into Neural Progenitor Cells

Source: Phillips, A. W., et al. Developing HiPSC Derived Serum Free Embryoid Bodies for the Interrogation of 3-D Stem Cell Cultures Using Physiologically Relevant Assays. J. Vis. Exp. (2017). The video demonstrates a technique for differentiating human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) into neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Initially, the hiPSCs are cultured on a feeder layer of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Subsequently, the cells are detached and transferred to a biopolymer-coated plate to allow the MEFs to adhere to and separate from the hiPSCs. The suspended hiPSCs are then transferred to a V-bottom plate and centrifuged to form aggregates. Finally, the addition of a differentiation medium induces the differentiation of hiPSCs within the aggregate into NPCs.