Corning® Synthemax™ Surface: a tool for feeder-free, xeno-free culture of human embryonic stem cells

Abstract

Currently, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are cultured on feeder cells or complex mixtures of proteins extracted from mouse tumors1,2. To allow commercialization of hESC-derived therapeutic cells, culture methods are required that are robust and scalable and that use chemically defined, xeno-free materials. Corning Synthemax Surface is a novel synthetic surface that permits consistent long-term self-renewal of multiple hESC lines in defined, xeno-free media and differentiation of cells to functional cardiomyocytes3.