Cell Culture for Cell Therapies

This session will focus on issues related to the culture, differentiation, and proliferation of cells for use in cellular therapies. Cells and tissues of interest include embryonic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells and adult progenitor cells such as skin, nerve, or liver progenitors, as well as primary cells such as pancreatic islets, hepatocytes, blood, skin, and nerve cells. Important issues include: (1) Regulation of stem/progenitor cell expansion and directed differentiation, (2) Development of culture media and control of the cellular microenvironment (PO2, pH, shear, and ECM), (3) Development of culture systems that mimic key aspects of the stem/progenitor cell niche, (4) Quality control and validation assays for cell characterization, (5) Development of bioreactors and microfluidics for automated differentiation or proliferation of cells, and (6) Improved recovery and purification of desired cell populations.