Cincinnati Children’s Pluripotent Stem Cell Facility (PSCF) facilitates and supports research using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). HPSCs are generated from a skin biopsy or blood sample that can be obtained from any patient and, when grown under optimal conditions in petri dishes in the lab, self-renew to provide an unlimited supply of patient-specific stem cells.
What makes hPSCs special is their ability to be induced to turn into any human cell type (e.g. nerves, heart, and skin) in the lab. HPSCs can also be induced to become 3-dimensional mini organ-like tissues, called organoids.