Since the discovery of reprogramming factors in 2006 and the boom of CRISPR gene editing strategies, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) have emerged as new cellular models. The development of 3D cell culture technologies has also contributed to the generation of induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) derived cells, with unique applications from patient-specific drug responses testing, to regenerative medicine. I would like to introduce in this post a selection of reagents in this domain, a combination of both routine and innovative quality reagents, that I consider as bringing something extra to your stem cell research projects.

Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts (MEFs) are critical biological reagents in stem cell research. Used as “feeder cells” to maintain Embryonic Stem (ES) cells and induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS), the quality of MEFs strongly influences Stem cell culture conditions, and may react differently depending on culture conditions. In parallel, MEFs can also be reprogrammed into a variety of more mature differentiated functional cell types (cardiomyocytes, neurons…). During daily discussions with Stem cell biologists, I have been able to collect Frequently Asked Questions and technical tips related to MEFs.