Generation of Human iPSC from Small Volume Peripheral Blood Samples

The generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from patients has opened new doors to gain insights into disease pathophysiology and treatment. In particular, the generation of iPSCs from patients who suffer from inherited diseases is of great interest, as most of these diseases are rare and not well studied. As most affected patients are diagnosed during infancy, the derivation of somatic cells for the generation of iPSCs is very much limited. Here we describe a protocol for the generation of human iPSCs from non-mobilized peripheral blood. This protocol can be adapted to all volumes of blood, starting from 1 ml of peripheral blood. Isolated and processed cells can be used for the generation of iPSCs by both, lentiviral and Sendai virus mediated reprogramming, allowing for the rapid generation of patient-specific iPSCs.