title: A defined and xeno-free culture method enabling the establishment of clinical-grade human embryonic, induced pluripotent and adipose stem cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The growth of stem cells in in vitro conditions requires optimal balance between signals mediating cell survival, proliferation, and self-renewal. For clinical application of stem cells, the use of completely defined conditions and elimination of all animal-derived materials from the establishment, culture, and differentiation processes is desirable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here, we report the development of a fully defined xeno-free medium (RegES), capable of supporting the expansion of human embryonic stem cells (hESC), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and adipose stem cells (ASC). We describe the use of the xeno-free medium in the derivation and long-term (>80 passages) culture of three pluripotent karyotypically normal hESC lines: Regea 06/015, Regea 07/046, and Regea 08/013. Cardiomyocytes and neural cells differentiated from these cells exhibit features characteristic to these cell types. The same formulation of the xeno-free medium is capable of supporting the undifferentiated growth of iPSCs on human feeder cells. The characteristics of the pluripotent hESC and iPSC lines are comparable to lines derived and cultured in standard undefined culture conditions. In the culture of ASCs, the xeno-free medium provided significantly higher proliferation rates than ASCs cultured in medium containing allogeneic human serum (HS), while maintaining the differentiation potential and characteristic surface marker expression profile of ASCs, although significant differences in the surface marker expression of ASCs cultured in HS and RegES media were revealed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results demonstrate that human ESCs, iPSCs and ASCs can be maintained in the same defined xeno-free medium formulation for a prolonged period of time while maintaining their characteristics, demonstrating the applicability of the simplified xeno-free medium formulation for the production of clinical-grade stem cells. The basic xeno-free formulation described herein has the potential to be further optimized for specific applications relating to establishment, expansion and differentiation of various stem cell types.
authors.affiliation: Regea-Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Tampere, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland. kristiina.m.rajala@regea.fi
authors.forename: Kristiina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rajala
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lindroos
authors.forename: Samer M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hussein
authors.forename: Riikka S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Lappalainen
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pekkanen-Mattila
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Inzunza
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rozell
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miettinen
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Narkilahti
authors.forename: Erja
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kerkelä
authors.forename: Katriina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aalto-Setälä
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Otonkoski
authors.forename: Riitta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Suuronen
authors.forename: Outi
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hovatta
authors.forename: Heli
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Skottman
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D003470:Culture Media; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D008722:Methods; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media