Development of Defined Culture Conditions for Expansion of Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells for Clinical Applications

Abstract

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are of clinical interest due to their ability to self-renew and differentiate into multiple tissue types. Unfortunately, both the number of MSCs within tissues and their reparative potential decreases with age, resulting in a decreased capability for tissue repair. The ability to isolate MSCs from a multitude of tissue sources and expand and differentiate them in vitro has made them excellent candidates for a range of therapeutic applications. However, a number of existing limitations in terms of their culture must first be addressed prior to them being widely available for use in the clinic. In this chapter we discuss potential strategies to produce therapeutically-relevant numbers of high-quality MSCs for use in clinical applications. The relative merits of MSCs derived from different tissue sources and the development of defined culture conditions, in terms of oxygen levels, soluble media and culture substrates from which high-quality MSCs may, in future be derived for clinical applications, are described.