Emerging Technology in Development

3D Bioreactor Technology for MSC cultivation

Three dimensional (3D) cell culture system is a cutting edge technology  whereby cells are grown on microcarriers, providing 3D surfaces for cell attachment. 3D culture  closely mimics physiological conditions and natural microenvironment found in living tissues and interactions of MSC with 3D microenvironment promotes cell growth, proliferation, and greater potency. Shown above are representative images from three reproducible pilot studies conducted by Stemigen on 3D bioreactor cultivation of umbilical cord derived human mesenchymal stem cells.

Dissolvable Porous Microcarrier Technology

Intact microcarriers

Dissolved microcarriers

Microcarrier technology is widely used for 3D culture of anchorage-dependent cells, such as MSCs, in a bioreactor format. Conventional microcarriers are typically insoluble solid spheres (e.g. PS polystyrene). They cause a reduction in cell quality and yield during the cell harvesting process  –  (1) more repeated washings required to completely remove the microcarriers (2) cells growing within the pores of the microcarriers cannot be recovered.

In contrast, dissolvable porous microcarriers can overcome these limitations and is an efficient platform for MSC 3D manufacturing.

Shown above are successful enzymatic dissolution of cell laden microcarriers from three reproducible pilot studies on the use of dissolvable porous microcarriers for cultivation of umbilical cord derived human mesenchymal stem cells.

Big Data Gene Therapy Technology

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) have broad therapeutic capabilities such as differentiation into important cell types, homing to damaged tissue sites and immunomodulation. Every therapeutic property is activated by specific MSC genes stimulated through the cell’s microenvironment. But unfavorable microenvironmental factors, heterogenous nature of MSCs and human bodies often lead to inconsistent gene activation (e.g. when MSC is required to differentiate into a certain cell type, it did not differentiate due to unfavorable microenvironment conditions).

MSC expressing Red Fluorescent Protein Gene over 8 hours period

MSC expressing Green Fluorescent Protein Gene

Gene therapy plays a key role in enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of MSC. By using Big Data to analyze the patient’s genome, we can deliver specific genes into MSC to trigger therapeutic properties that are specific to the patient, so that it can deliver personalized therapeutic effects regardless of its microenvironment.