Researchers Unlock Guinea Pig Epiblast Stem Cells

Since the advent of pluripotent stem cell (PSC) technology, researchers have continually advanced methods to refine efficiency, improve safety, and uncover novel biological insights. While guinea pigs have historically played a vital role as experimental models, their potential has been constrained by the lack of established PSC lines—a limitation now overcome by an innovative study from Dr. Liu Jing and collaborators.

In a recent study published on January 9, 2025, in Stem Cell Reports, researchers led by Dr. LIU Jing from the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences unveiled a major scientific advancement with the derivation of guinea pig epiblast stem cells (gpEpiSCs). This research, titled "Capture Primed Pluripotency in Guinea Pig," makes significant progress in establishing guinea pig epiblast stem cell lines. The collaborative team, including Dr. Manish Kumar, Dr. ZHU Ping, and leading contributors GUO Jing and LIU Jinpeng, optimized a novel culture medium that effectively maintains these cells in a state that mirrors the primed pluripotency found in human stem cells. These gpEpiSCs can differentiate into all three germ layers, providing a powerful tool for investigating complex biological processes and diseases in a model that closely resembles human physiology.

This study is a testament to the potential of underutilized animal models in translational medicine. By developing a method to maintain and study these cells, the researchers offer new pathways for exploring developmental biology, enhancing drug discovery, and improving disease modelling. These research results have the potential to contribute to the development of more accurate predictive models for human responses to new drugs and provide new ideas for personalized approaches in regenerative medicine. However, further research and verification are still needed.

Figure: Developing Guinea Pig Stem Cells to Bridge Animal and Human Biological ResearchImage by Prof. LIU's team)

The project was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, highlights the Guangzhou Institutes' commitment to excellence and innovation in science. For more detailed information on the research and its broader implications, the full article is accessible on the Stem Cell Reports website.

For further inquiries or collaborations, please contact: Dr. LIU Jing Email: liu_jing@gibh.ac.cn