Journal article
Unrestricted somatic stem cells from human umbilical cord blood grow in serum-free medium as spheres
F Zaibak, P Bello, J Kozlovski, D Crombie, H Ang, M Dottori, R Williamson
BMC Biotechnology | BMC | Published : 2009
Abstract
Background: Human umbilical cord blood-derived unrestricted somatic stem cells (USSCs), which are capable of multilineage differentiation, are currently under investigation for a number of therapeutic applications. A major obstacle to their clinical use is the fact that in vitro expansion is still dependent upon fetal calf serum, which could be a source of pathogens. In this study, we investigate the capacity of three different stem cell culture media to support USSCs in serum-free conditions; HEScGRO™, PSM and USSC growth mediumACF. Our findings demonstrate that USSCs do not grow in HEScGRO™ or PSM, but we were able to isolate, proliferate and maintain multipotency of three USSC lines in US..
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Funding Acknowledgements
We thank the New Zealand Cystic Fibrosis Association, Australian Cystic Fibrosis Research Trust, University of Melbourne, and a group of generous donors that initiated the establishment of this research program. Special thanks to: Professor Gesine Kogler, who advised us on the creation of the USSC line; Jacqui Johnson and Jenny Greenhalgh for reagent support; Dr Alice Pebay for providing PSM; and Pei Tian and Dr Caitlin Filby for their technical support.