Photodynamic Approach for Teratoma-Free Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapy Using CDy1 and Visible Light

Pluripotent stem cells (PSC) are promising resources for regeneration therapy, but teratoma formation is one of the critical problems for safe clinical application. After differentiation, the precise detection and subsequent elimination of undifferentiated PSC is essential for teratoma-free stem cell therapy, but a practical procedure is yet to be developed. CDy1, a PSC specific fluorescent probe, was investigated for the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and demonstrated to induce selective death of PSC upon visible light irradiation. Importantly, the CDy1 and/or light irradiation did not negatively affect differentiated endothelial cells. The photodynamic treatment of PSC with CDy1 and visible light irradiation confirmed the inhibition of teratoma formation in mice, and suggests a promising new approach to safe PSC-based cell therapy.