Innovative Approach to Creating 'Invisible' Stem Cells: Insights from Leading Scientist

In recent advances in regenerative medicine, scientists have made significant progress toward developing hypoimmune stem cells—cells engineered to evade the immune system and reduce transplant rejection. Dr. Sonja Schrepfer, a prominent researcher at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, discusses her pioneering work on these 'invisible' stem cells and their potential to revolutionize transplantation and cell therapy.

A longstanding challenge in organ and cell transplantation is immune rejection, which often necessitates lifelong immunosuppressive drugs. These drugs can have severe side effects, prompting researchers to seek alternative solutions. Genetic engineering offers a promising pathway to create stem cells that are less likely to be targeted by the immune system.

Dr. Schrepfer explains that her approach draws inspiration from natural immune tolerance mechanisms observed during pregnancy. The fetal cells during pregnancy employ hypoimmune strategies to avoid attack by the mother's immune defenses, despite being foreign genetically. By studying these mechanisms, she has developed methods using genome editing to modify stem cells, making them invisible—or hypoimmune—to the immune system.

She was among the first to utilize such gene edits, coining the term 'hypoimmune,' which has since been adopted by other research groups employing different strategies. These engineered stem cells can proliferate and differentiate into various cell types, including heart muscle cells, smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells, expanding their potential applications.

The potential clinical applications are vast, including treatments for diseases such as ALS, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease. Producing hypoimmune stem cells in large quantities could enable more accessible and universal cell therapies for patients worldwide.

Looking ahead, Dr. Schrepfer aims to extend this technology from cells to entire organs, aspiring to overcome barriers in solid organ transplantation. Initial experiments indicate this approach could prevent immune rejection of transplanted organs, opening new frontiers in medicine.

This innovative research marks a significant step toward universal donor cells and organs, promising to transform transplant medicine and patient care.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-qa-scientist-invisible-stem-cells.html