Pluripotent Cell Lines Grown on Different Substrates and Surfaces

Abstract

As stated in Chap. 2, the use of inactivated fibroblasts as feeders for the derivation, expansion and maintenance of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) is still the predominant method used in most laboratories. These cells hold great promise for clinical utility in the field of regenerative medicine and are useful tools in areas such as toxicology and the development of disease models. However, these applications require defined and refined culture systems, which are essential to ensure that processes and assay systems are reliable, reproducible, robust, efficacious and safe. A feeder-free system also facilitates activities such as the scale-up of processes and high-throughput screening. In the clinical setting, the ultimate goal is to produce a culture system that is xeno-free (free of animal products), in which the culture medium is chemically defined and the cell culture substrate is a defined synthetic matrix. Amongst the advantages of defined xeno-free culture systems is the amelioration of intrinsic batch-to-batch variation introduced into the system via the use of biological products, as well as a reduction in the risk of contamination with viruses associated with animal products.