Differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells to oligodendrocyte progenitor cells

University of Minnesota M.S. thesis. January 2013. Major: Stem cell biology. Advisors:Ann Parr James Dutton. 1 computer file (PDF); iv, 36 pages.The similarity between induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) and Embryonic Stem (ES) cells motivated the use of the Keirstead protocol in the differentiation of iPSCs to Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells (OPCs). The overall concept of the protocol was successful in differentiating the iPSCs to OPCs with modification at each stage to better suit the survival of the aggregates made from iPSCs. The OPCs generated from the iPSCs were primarily confirmed using immunostaining for Olig2 and NG2. The OPCs produced using this protocol, were expanded on matrigel in Glial Restrictive Medium (GRM) supplemented with Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) and passaged for further expansion