# Selective elimination of tumorigenic cells from mixed culture of normal and tumorigenic cells using hybrid liposomes aimed at realizing of cell therapy

## TL;DR

This study shows that hybrid liposomes can selectively eliminate cancerous cells from a mix of normal and tumorigenic cells, which could improve the safety of regenerative medicine.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates the use of hybrid liposomes to selectively target and eliminate tumorigenic cells in mixed cultures.

## Key findings

- Hybrid liposomes accumulated more in tumorigenic HuH-7 cells due to their more fluid plasma membranes.
- HL treatment selectively eliminated HuH-7 cells while preserving normal Hc cells in mixed cultures.
- HL treatment suppressed the tumorigenicity of HuH-7 cells in mixed cultures.

## Abstract

While induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are expected to be a cell source for regenerative medicine, they also have tumorigenic properties owing to their proliferative potential. During the manufacturing of regenerative medicine products, undifferentiated iPS cells and malignant transformed cells may be mixed in the cell culture population. Therefore, it is essential to eliminate tumorigenic cells selectively. In this study, a mixed culture of normal human fetal hepatocytes (Hc cells) and human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HuH-7 cells) was used as a cell population model to be used as regenerative medicine products, and the selective elimination of HuH-7 cells by hybrid liposomes (HL) was analyzed. HL tended to fuse and accumulate more in HuH-7 cells due to larger fluidity of plasma membrane for HuH-7 cells than that for Hc cells. In a mixed culture of Hc and HuH-7 cells, HL selectively eliminated HuH-7 cells while allowing Hc cells to remain viable. In addition, HL treatment for the mixed culture of Hc and HuH-7 cells suppressed the tumorigenicity of HuH-7 cells. Therefore, HL selectively fused and accumulated in tumorigenic cells in a mixed cell culture of normal and tumorigenic cells, and eliminated tumorigenic cells while allowing normal cells to remain viable. The results of this study suggest the potential of HL in eliminating tumorigenic cells during the manufacturing of regenerative medicine products. Thus, HL could be expected to contribute to the development of safe regenerative medical products.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10616-023-00613-y.