Heppe Medical Chitosan GmbH

Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA designed a promising novel three-dimensional scaffold for stem cells. Main ingredients are chitosan and alginate.


Embryonic stem cells are the great white hope in medical investigation. Aim is their cultivation and to differentiate them into new cells and even grow new tissue or organs. Therefore a large quantity of stem cells is needed. But so far, large-scale
productions fail because inappropriate “feeder-layers”. They often are contaminated or stem cells only grow slowly and in to little quantities.

To promote stem cell research stem cells need to be generated in larger scales. Hence, alternatives for the cultivation of stem cells are searched for.

On this note Prof. Zhang and his colleagues from the University of Washington in Seattle, designed a three-dimensional scaffold from chitosan and alginate. Chitosan is a natural, biodegradable, positvely charged polymer. Alginat also is a natural material, but negatively charged. The obtained 3D-matrix is similar to the extracellular matrix, the cell surrounding in the human body and provides good binding possibilities. Stem cells grew not only on the surface but penetrated the scaffold and a higher growth rate was achieved. By a mild solution the stem cells then can be harvested.

Also, unlike previous feeder layers with animal by-products, no contaminations in the alginat-chitosan matrix were observed. Thus, clean and operational stem cells can be cultivated.

This procedure might be basis for a “mass production” of stem cells. According to the scientist, an alternative use might be the implantation of the stem cell matrix directly to the place where they are needed, since the scaffold itself is biodegradable.

 

 

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Source: Hannah Hicky.

Paper: Li, Z.; Leung, M.; Hopper, R.; Ellenbogen, R.; Zhang, M.: Feeder-free self-renewal of human embryonic stem cells in 3D porous natural polymer scaffolds. Biomaterials: 2010 (31/3), 404-412.