Manipulation of self-renewal in human embryonic stem cells through a novel pharmacological GSK-3 inhibitor.

This chapter introduces a new method of maintaining human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in the undifferentiated state through treatment with a GSK-3 inhibitor, BIO, under a feeder-free condition. Additionally, methods are introduced that determine multidifferentiation potential of hESCs by differentiating into a specific type or random heterogenous cell populations in vitro. These approaches will become a fundamental platform to identify molecular networks regulating cell fate determination in hESCs and mouse embryonic stem cells.