On May 20, 2023, Beijing Beiqi Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Beijing Saitaike Biotechnology Co., Ltd. successfully held the "First Chemical Reprogramming Induced Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Technology Training Course" at the Health Medical Center of Peking University Third Hospital.

The chemical reprogramming technology introduced in this technical training course is based on the latest breakthrough achievement of Professor Deng Hongkui's team at Peking University, which is the independent research and development of a new generation of human pluripotent stem cell preparation technology using chemical small molecules to induce the transformation of human adult cells into pluripotent stem cells (Nature, 2022; Cell Stem Cell, 2023). Compared with traditional "somatic cell nuclear transfer" and "transgenic overexpression transcription factor" reprogramming to prepare pluripotent stem cells, chemical reprogramming is simpler, more efficient, stable, easy to standardize and safe, solving the "bottleneck" problem in the development of stem cells and regenerative medicine in China. Compared to traditional methods, chemical small molecule manipulation is simple and flexible, with strong spatiotemporal regulation and reversible effects, allowing for precise control of cell reprogramming processes. The induction period for small molecules can be shortened to within 30 days, with a minimum of 16 days required to complete the induction. At the same time, the induction efficiency of iPS has significantly improved, with a maximum success rate of 31%. The new system has been tested on somatic cells from 17 individuals of different genetic backgrounds and ages, achieving efficient induction and accelerating the widespread application of human CiPS cells in cell therapy, drug screening, and disease modeling. Small molecule induced somatic cell reprogramming technology, as a non integrated method, avoids safety issues caused by traditional genetic modification operations. At present, Beijing Beiqi Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is responsible for product transformation of this cutting-edge technology, while Beijing Saitaike Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is responsible for market promotion and sales, jointly accelerating its application in scientific research and clinical treatment, and promoting China's leapfrog development in the field of stem cells.

The technical training was first conducted by Dr. Zhu Jialiang, who gave a keynote speech on "Chemical Reprogramming: Small Molecules, Large Applications". In the report, Dr. Zhu introduced the current status of the field of pluripotent stem cells and the theory of chemical reprogramming in a clear and concise manner. Various examples were given to illustrate the advantages of human chemical reprogramming in preparing pluripotent stem cells and to depict the broad application prospects of human CiPS cells in the future. The on-site personnel were all amazed by this breakthrough technology and were full of expectations for how to operate and implement it!

The second part of the training was conducted by Dr. Liu Bei, who gave a technical report on the topic of "Chemical Reprogramming Induced Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Operation Sharing - Obtaining hCiPSCs through Simple Operation". Dr. Liu vividly and detailedly explained the current forms, characteristics, advantages, and overall induction process of chemical reprogramming assay kits. The content was rich and informative, allowing the attendees to deeply feel the charm of technological innovation and the hope of solving experimental pain points.

Subsequently, the attendees had in-depth exchanges and discussions on the understanding of the training content, the challenges related to their respective research fields, and future ideas. Everyone expressed that the training was full of gains and that this trip was worthwhile. They were confident that they could use this cutting-edge technology to achieve excellent results as soon as possible!

In the future, Beijing Beiqi Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. will continue to work with Beijing Saitek Biotechnology Co., Ltd. to hold such technical training courses in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xi'an and other places, in order to meet the urgent needs of researchers in various regions who hope to understand, learn and apply this advanced stem cell technology as soon as possible. Stay tuned!