Abstract
The extrapolability of the current tumorigenicity test performed by transplanting human cell product into immunodeficient (NOG) mice was investigated. For this purpose, the susceptibility to form teratomas of NOG mice was assessed by transplanting undifferentiated human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) as positive control cells via the liver, striatum, or tail vein and evaluating the TPD50 value (dose required to form teratomas in half of the transplanted mice). This was then compared to the TPD50 of syngeneic or allogeneic mouse models. The TPD50 of C57/BL/6(B6)-iPSC or 129/Ola(129)-embryonic stem cell (ESC) transplanted into the liver of syngeneic mice was 4.08 × 105 and 4.64 × 104 cells, respectively, while the TPD50 of hiPSC administered into the liver of NOG mice was 4.64 × 104 cells. The TPD50 of B6-miPSC-synergic, 129-mESC-synergic, or 129-cell/B6 allogeneic transplantation into the striatum was 5.09 × 102, 1.0 × 104, and 3.73 × 104 cells, respectively, while that of hiPSC/NOG mice was 1.0 × 103 cells. The TPD50 for B6-miPSC or 129-mESC syngeneic tail vein infusion was 3.16 × 106 or 5.62 × 106 cells, respectively, while no incidence was observed from 1 × 107 B6-miPSCs in 129 mice or hiPSCs in NOG mice infusion study. Although the number of data sets was limited, these data indicate that the teratoma formation from transplanted undifferentiated hiPSCs via the liver or striatum in NOG mice is comparable to that in syngeneic or allogeneic mouse transplantation model, suggesting that the result of the current tumorigenicity test in NOG mice would provide useful information to infer the incidence of teratoma from residual undifferentiated hPSCs in hPSC-derived products after transplantation.