Especially pure stem cells – every day!
Traditionally, stem cells are grown on feeder (feeding) substrates from mouse fibroblasts adhered to plastic. The growth factors and nutrients produced by the cells of the feeding layer ensure the rapid division of stem cells. However, the use of animal products is fraught with the appearance of undesirable changes in the properties of cultured cells, as well as their infection. Therefore, such cells should be thoroughly tested before use.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, for the first time managed to create induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), potentially suitable for clinical use, and differentiate them into neurons without using any animal products.
The whole process was carried out by the authors in compliance with the requirements of good manufacturing practice (GMP). This allows them to claim that the cells obtained meet all the standards, compliance with which is a prerequisite for use in the clinic. The researchers have also developed a set of standard protocols that fully describe the process, which will allow other specialists to use the developed approach to solve similar problems.
As part of the project, scientists tested six different compositions of nutrient media that do not contain animal components. At the same time, they combined the environments available on the market and tested different concentrations of growth factors. According to Saravanan Karumbayaram, a researcher who compared the quality of the colonies obtained (one of them is shown in the picture) with the quality of colonies obtained using standard techniques, cells grown using the medium chosen as a result of painstaking work are characterized by excellent quality and fairly high stability.
The only drawback of the new approach is a decrease in efficiency, since when using it, the quantitative yield of colonies is lower than when growing on a mouse feeder layer. However, the formed colonies remain stable after at least 20 replanting.
To date, researchers have already created at least 15 lines of high-quality induced pluripotent stem cells without the use of animal products. However, they note that their application in clinical practice is still very far away. Currently, they are developing methods that will ensure the genetic stability of these cells and their maximum safety for humans.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on UCLA materials:
Scientists use animal-free reagents to create clinical-grade neurons from skin cells.
09.12.2011