human induced pluripotent stem cells derived airway epithelium

We devised a simple and reliable method for reprogramming peripheral blood mononuclear cells into hiPSC and then to differentiate them into air-liquid interface bronchial epithelium (iALI) within 45 days. Of note, this method does not involve any cell sorting step. We reprogrammed blood cells from one healthy control and three patients with very severe COPD. The mean cell purity at definitive endoderm and ventral anterior foregut endoderm was >80%, assessed by CXCR4 and NKX2.1 expression respectively. vAFE cells from all four hiPSC differen-tiated into bronchial epithelium in air-liquid interface (ALI) conditions, with large zones covered by beating ciliated, basal, goblets, club cells and neuroendocrine cells, as found in vivo.