Part of the challenge in using iPS cells for drug screens is producing large numbers of identical cells that behave in a consistent way. hES cell lines are variable, Rubin says, but iPS cells are even more variable, even when made from the same person’s cells. Further variability results from the differentiation of the resulting iPS lines into individual cell types. To help address these consistency and quality control issues, Fluidigm, which is developing microfluidic technology, and Stemgent, which produces stem cell reagents, are teaming up to develop a cell culture chip (C2C) based on Fluidigm’s integrated fluidic circuit (IFC), with the support of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine. The resulting device (C2C IFC) is a network of chambers and valves that could serve as a ‘lab on a chip’ for optimizing stem cell culture conditions, says Stephen Chang, the Chief Scientific Officer at Stemgent in San Diego, California. This sort of screening tool could help researchers better understand factors that enhance or hinder iPS cell growth and identify optimal conditions for cell reprogramming and the differentiation of iPS cells.