Ready-to-Use, Synthetic Surface Cultureware for hiPSCs Coming to Market

The major aim during the multi-passage cultivation of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) is to preserve their differentiation and growth potential. Here, the proper selection of a defined culture system that consists of a growth surface and culture medium is crucial. The commonly used biological coating materials for PSC expansion are based on either mouse embryonic fibroblast feeder layers or animal-derived protein mixtures. However, these coating materials represent complex and non-defined growth surfaces that frequently lead to an insufficient experimental reproducibility. This disadvantage is exacerbated by variable lot-to-lot quality and purity of coating media, by use of undefined growth factors and extracellular matrix (ECM) components known to sustain cell adhesion and pluripotency, as well as by a potential pathogen contamination risk during preparation and storage. Therefore, to ensure robust cell performances in downstream applications, fully synthetic, animal-component-free culture systems have always been of great interest in this context.

In contrast to other types of stem cells, synthetic and ready-to-use culture systems are currently not available for human induced PSCs (hiPSCs). In June 2018, Eppendorf will bring a novel, synthetic and ready-to-use surface for hiPSCs, hMSCs and other ECM-dependent cells to the market. This surface is made up of fibronectin-derived motifs to support cell attachment by mimicking native ECM proteins. Furthermore, it allows expansion of stem cells in xeno-free and restrictive culture conditions, aiming to provide a completely defined culture system for PSCs without animal or human components. According to the manufacturer, this novel surface supports consistent and robust growth rate of hiPSCs with all pluripotent-specific characteristics over at least 20 passages.