Manufacturing clinical-grade human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived beta cells for diabetes treatment

The unlimited proliferative capacity of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) fortifies it as one of the most attractive sources for cell therapy application in diabetes. In the past two decades, vast research efforts have been invested in developing strategies to differentiate hPSCs into clinically suitable insulin-producing endocrine cells or functional beta cells (β cells). With the end goal being clinical translation, it is critical for hPSCs and insulin-producing β cells to be derived, handled, stored, maintained and expanded with clinical compliance. This review focuses on the key processes and guidelines for clinical translation of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived β cells for diabetes cell therapy. Here, we discuss the (1) key considerations of manufacturing clinical-grade hiPSCs, (2) scale-up and differentiation of clinical-grade hiPSCs into β cells in clinically compliant conditions and (3) mandatory quality control and product release criteria necessitated by various regulatory bodies to approve the use of the cell-based products.