Since the groundbreaking discovery of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) by Shinya Yamanaka in 2006, the use of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) has experienced a boom. Due to their extensive in vitro self-renewal properties and their ability to differentiate into many different cell types, PSCs, and especially hiPSCs, offer exciting promises in a wide range of cell applications including regenerative medicine.
The major challenge of iPSC-cultivation is to preserve their properties until differentiation is induced. To support this, an appropriate culture medium and a defined extracellular matrix-mimicking growth surface/coating are crucial. Biological coatings commonly used to expand stem cells are inherently complex, non-defined growth surfaces that frequently reduce experimental reproducibility. This is exacerbated by lot-to-lot variations between coating media, by the 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, in order to provide defined conditions, fully synthetic, animal component/human component-free culture systems are of great interest.
However, in contrast to other types of stem cells, synthetic and ready-to-use growth surfaces are currently not available for human induced PSCs (hiPSCs).
Eppendorf has now introduced a ready-to-use surface with synthetic fibronectin-derived motifs to support cell attachment by mimicking native ECM proteins. According to the manufacturer, this novel surface supports long-term expansion of hiPSCs over 25 passages and is also suitable for hMSCs and other ECM-dependent cells. 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.
