Functional Gene Correction for Cystic Fibrosis in Lung Epithelial Cells Generated from Patient iPSCs

Lung disease is a major cause of death in the United States, with current therapeutic approaches serving only to manage symptoms. The most common chronic and life-threatening genetic disease of the lung is cystic fibrosis (CF) caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR). We have generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from CF patients carrying a homozygous deletion of F508 in the CFTR gene, which results in defective processing of CFTR to the cell membrane. This mutation was precisely corrected using CRISPR to target corrective sequences to the endogenous CFTR genomic locus, in combination with a completely excisable selection system, which significantly improved the efficiency of this correction. The corrected iPSCs were subsequently differentiated to mature airway epithelial cells where recovery of normal CFTR expression and function was demonstrated. This isogenic iPSC-based model system for CF could be adapted for the development of new therapeutic approaches.