MACS-based purification of stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium
Provided herein are methods of enriching a retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell population derived from stem cells. Such a method may comprise removing contaminating cells through the depletion of CD24 positive cells, CD56 positive cells, and/or CD90 positive cells from a starting population of RPE cells.
1. A method for providing a human RPE-enriched cell population from a less RPE-enriched starting human RPE cell population, the method comprising depleting CD56+ cells from the starting RPE cell population to provide the RPE-enriched cell population, wherein at least 90% of the cells in the RPE-enriched cell population are BEST1+, at least 90% of the cells in the RPE-enriched population are PMEL17+ and at least 90% of the cells in the RPE-enriched population are TYRP1+.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least 95% of the cells in the RPE-enriched cell population are BEST1+, at least 95% of the cells in the RPE-enriched population are PMEL17+ and at least 95% of the cells in the RPE-enriched population are TYRP1+.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the starting cell population is prepared from pluripotent stem cells.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the pluripotent stem cells are induced pluripotent stem cells.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein CD56+ cells are depleted by magnetic bead-based sorting or fluorescence-based sorting.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein CD56+ cells are depleted using an antibody or an aptamer.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the RPE-enriched cell population is not genetically modified.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is carried out without genetically engineering the starting cell population.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises enriching said starting cell population for RPE-enriched cells by further depleting therefrom CD24+ cells.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises enriching said starting cell population for RPE cells by further depleting therefrom CD90+ cells.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises enriching said starting cell population for RPE cells by depleting therefrom CD24+ cells, CD56+ cells and CD90+ cells.