Application note: Expansion of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in BioBLU 0.3c single-use bioreactors

In this application note, Eppendorf discuss how the use of adult stem cells holds great promise for new cell-based therapies and drug discovery…

The use of adult stem cells holds great promise for new cell-based therapies and drug discovery. For their routine application, large numbers of cells have to be produced with consistently high quality. Two-dimensional cultivation systems, such as T-flasks, are widely used, but they are limited in terms of control and scalability. Stem cell expansion in rigid-wall, stirred-tank bioreactors, however, facilitates the precise control of critical process parameters like pH and dissolved oxygen, and allows a more straightforward scale-up to larger process dimensions.

We tested the suitability of Eppendorf BioBLU 0.3c Single-Use Vessels controlled by a DASbox Mini Bioreactor System for the expansion of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells on microcarriers, and obtained 1×108 cells in a working volume of 250mL. The cells were able to differentiate into osteocytes and chondrocytes, respectively, demonstrating that their expansion in stirred-tank bioreactors did not affect multipotency. BioBLU Single-Use Vessels with maximum working volumes of 250mL and 3.75L were previously used for the expansion of human induced pluripotent stem cells as cell-only aggregates1 and of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells on microcarriers2. These results, and our current data, suggest that Eppendorf BioBLU Single-Use Vessels are widely applicable for the expansion of different stem cell types at various scales.