Human Stem Cell-Derived Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells as a Model for Drug Screening and Pre-Clinical Assays Compared to ARPE-19 Cell Line

Therefore, hES-RPEs seem to have the ability to incur a broader range of RPE functions than ARPE-19 and should be more thoroughly explored for drug screening.

Functional, cellular and molecular data obtained suggest that hES-RPE cells more closely resembles native RPEs compared to ARPE-19. Furthermore, hES-RPE revealed an interesting robustness when cultured on human Bruch's membrane explants and after exposure to Cyclosporine (CSA), Sirolimus (SRL), Tacrolimus (TAC), Leflunomide (LEF) and Teriflunomide (TER). On these conditions, hES-RPE cells were able to survive at higher drug concentrations, while ARPE-19 cell line was more susceptible to cell death. Conclusions: Therefore, hES-RPEs seem to have the ability to incur a broader range of RPE functions than ARPE-19 and should be more thoroughly explored for drug screening.