BIO is a cell-permeable selective irreversible inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase-3 （GSK-3）.
This inhibitory effect is reported to activate the Wnt signaling pathway and promote self-renewal in human and mouse cells.
BIO is also useful in the differentiation of cardiomyocytes from human embryonic cells and Induced pluripotent stem cells as well as cellular reprogramming of mouse cell lines into iPS cells.
