145e Integrated Expansion and Differentiation of Embryonoic Stem Cells In Fibrous Bed Bioreactors

Ning Liu, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 125A Koffolt Lab, 140 w. 19th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210 and Shang-Tian Yang, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department, The Ohio State University, 140 w. 19th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210.

Cell therapy using embryonic stem cells (ESCs) requires reproducible, well-defined culture systems for producing large numbers of well-characterized cells. Current ESC differentiation process involving three steps, expansion of ESCs, formation of embryoid bodies and induction of lineage-specific differentiation, is laborious and difficult to scale-up. In this study, a simple process using fibrous bed bioreactors was developed for integrated ESC expansion and differentiation. When cultured in a PET fibrous matrix with a growth medium for 30 days, ESCs were expanded 125-fold to reach a high cell density of 1×10^8 cells/ml matrix without significant differentiation. Following the expansion of ESCs in a fibrous bed bioreactor, continually refreshing the bioreactor with a differentiation medium induced ESC differentiation. Multi-lineage differentiation was confirmed using immunocytochemistry and FACS analyses. This simplified, integrated ESC expansion and differentiation process can meet the stringent requirements for developing large-scale cultures for producing ESCs for potential clinical applications.