Synthetic niches for differentiation of human embryonic stem cells bypassing embryoid body formation
Yarong Liu
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Search for more papers by this authorVictoria Fox
Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Search for more papers by this authorYuning Lei
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Search for more papers by this authorBiliang Hu
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Search for more papers by this authorKye-Il Joo
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Pin Wang
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Correspondence to: P. Wang (e-mail: [email protected])Search for more papers by this authorYarong Liu
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Search for more papers by this authorVictoria Fox
Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Search for more papers by this authorYuning Lei
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Search for more papers by this authorBiliang Hu
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Search for more papers by this authorKye-Il Joo
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Pin Wang
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Correspondence to: P. Wang (e-mail: [email protected])Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
The unique self-renewal and pluripotency features of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) offer the potential for unlimited development of novel cell therapies. Currently, hESCs are cultured and differentiated using methods, such as monolayer culture and embryoid body (EB) formation. As such, achieving efficient differentiation into higher order structures remains a challenge, as well as maintaining cell viability during differentiation into homogeneous cell populations. Here, we describe the application of highly porous polymer scaffolds as synthetic stem cell niches. Bypassing the EB formation step, these scaffolds are capable of three-dimensional culture of undifferentiated hESCs and subsequent directed differentiation into three primary germ layers. H9 hESCs were successfully maintained and proliferated in biodegradable polymer scaffolds based on poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). The results showed that cells within PLGA scaffolds retained characteristics of undifferentiated pluripotent stem cells. Moreover, the scaffolds allowed differentiation towards the lineage of interest by the addition of growth factors to the culture system. The in vivo transplantation study revealed that the scaffolds could provide a microenvironment that enabled hESCs to interact with their surroundings, thereby promoting cell differentiation. Therefore, this approach, which provides a unique culture/differentiation system for hESCs, will find its utility in various stem cell-based tissue-engineering applications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 102B: 1101–1112, 2014.
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