Expansion of Human Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells Using Standardized Xeno-Free, Serum-Free Culture Condition

Aims: mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) is one of the most promising cell therapies to treat immune related diseases such as GvHD, Crohn's disease, osteoarthritis as well as to support function of heart, liver, and central nervous system. Many advanced clinical trials has been taking place to investigate the safety and efficacy of MSC therapy, however, it remains challenging to compare the results of these trials due to variations in culture conditions and tissue origins. These variations pose the urgent need of a standardized large-scale production and quality control of these cells become more urgent, as the use of MSCs are spreading around the globe and disease backgrounds. Numerous culture protocols for MSCs are available using FBS-containing, human platelet lysate/plasma supplementing, or serum-free xeno-free condition, either commercial or self-prepared media. In this study, we have established a standardized expansion protocol that can be used for MSCs derived from bone marrow (BM), adipose tissue (AD), and umbilical cord (UC).