title: Maintenance of human embryonic stem cells in animal serum- and feeder layer-free culture conditions.
abstract: The availability of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) reflects their outstanding potential for research areas such as human developmental biology, teratology, and cell-based therapies. To allow their continuous growth as undifferentiated cells, isolation and culturing were traditionally conducted on mouse embryonic fibroblast feeder layers, using medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum. However, these conditions allow possible exposure of the cells to animal pathogens. Because both research and future clinical application require an animal-free and well-defined culture system for hESCs, these conventional conditions would prevent the use of hESCs in human therapy. This chapter describes optional culture conditions based on either animal-free or feeder-free culture methods for hESCs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rambam Medical Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amit
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Itskovitz-Eldor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry*; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000494:pharmacology; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D051379:Mice; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000494:pharmacology; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D003470:Culture Media; D005353:Fibronectins; D015850:Interleukin-6; C507837:LIF protein, human; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; C507838:Lif protein, mouse; C508960:TGFB1 protein, human; C508961:Tgfb1 protein, mouse; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2