Bioprocessing of embryonic stem cells for drug discovery.
Embryonic stem cells provide a potential resource for research and drug screening. To make such a resource feasible, it is necessary to generate cells of sufficient quality and quantity. The challenge is to expand cell numbers while maintaining the fidelity of phenotype and to control and direct differentiation to produce the cell type of interest in a format that is suitable for drug screening. At present, large-scale culturing of human ES cell lines is problematic and provides substantial challenges. This article provides an overview of current bioprocessing techniques that could be used to generate cells for drug discovery applications. This will generate further technical expertise that can be applied in the production of cells for potential therapeutic applications.
Thomson
Hazel
H
Stem Cell Sciences (UK) Ltd, Minerva Building 250, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, CB22 3AT UK. hazel.thomson@stemcellsciences.com
D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D019149:Bioreactors; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D015195:Drug Design; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D012371:Robotics