A scalable culture system incorporating microcarrier for specialised mesenchymal stem cells from human embryonic stem cells

• Published in: Materials today bio 2023-06, Vol.20, p.100662-100662, Article 100662
• Main Authors: Gao, Tingting, Zhao, Xiyuan, Hao, Jie, Tian, Yao, Ma, Huike, Liu, Wenjing, An, Bin, Sun, Faguo, Liu, Shasha, Guo, Baojie, Niu, Shuaishuai, Li, Zhongwen, Wang, Chenxin, Wang, Yukai, Feng, Guihai, Wang, Liu, Li, Wei, Wu, Jun, Guo, Meijin, Zhou, Qi, Gu, Qi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bioreactor; Culture system; Full Length; Human embryonic stem cells; Mesenchymal stem cells; Microcarrier
• ISSN: 2590-0064; 2590-0064
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2023.100662

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are a desirable cell source for cell therapy owing to their capacity to be produced stably and homogeneously in large quantities. However, a scalable culture system for hPSC-derived MSCs is urgently needed to meet the cell quantity and quality requirements of practical clinical applications. In this study, we developed a new microcarrier with hyaluronic acid (HA) as the core material, which allowed scalable serum-free suspension culture of hESC-derived MSCs (IMRCs). We used optimal microcarriers with a coating collagen concentration of 100 ​μg/mL or concave-structured surface (cHAMCs) for IMRC amplification in a stirred bioreactor, expanding IMRCs within six days with the highest yield of over one million cells per milliliter. In addition, the harvested cells exhibited high viability, immunomodulatory and regenerative therapeutic promise comparable to monolayer cultured MSCs while showing more increased secretion of extracellular matrix (ECM), particularly collagen-related proteins. In summary, we have established a scalable culture system for hESC-MSCs, providing novel approaches for future cell therapies. Gu et al. have developed a novel hyaluronic acid microcarrier (HAMC) for scalable suspension serum-free culture of mesenchymal stromal cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (IMRCs) in bioreactor-based systems. The cHAMC, with a concave structure, showed superior cell attachment and expansion capabilities, resulting in higher cell yields without compromising cell proliferation, stemness characteristics, or immunomodulatory properties. These findings demonstrate the potential of HAMC and cHAMCs as promising candidates for future cell-based therapies, providing a cost-effective solution for large-scale cell production. [Display omitted] •A novel HA-based microcarrier HAMC as the core material was successfully used for the scalable suspension serum-free culture of hESC-derived MSCs.•The expanded cells maintained their stemness characteristics and immunomodulatory properties.•The newly developed cHAMC showed superior cell attachment and expansion capabilities, leading to higher cell yield.