Stem Cell News
March 13, 2013
New Study by NSCI Researchers Revolutionizes Stem Cell Culture
Neural Stem Cell Institute
Regenerative Research Foundation
New Study by NSCI Researchers Revolutionizes
Stem Cell Culture
RENSSELAER, N.Y. (March 13, 2013) – Stem cell research is growing by leaps and bounds globally in both research and company laboratories. Stem cells grown in the culture dish provide the millions of cells needed for valuable therapy and research. Stem cell culture is laborious and expensive, but a recent study reports a dramatic improvement in stem cell production.
A team of researchers at The Neural Stem Cell Institute (NSCI) has overcome a key limitation of current stem cell methodology by developing a new culture medium additive that is bioengineered to feed stem cells continuously over several days. The StemBead additive increases the quantity and quality of stem cells grown under standard culture conditions while significantly reducing cost and labor.
“Stem cells, like people, need food every day,” says Dr. Christopher Fasano, NSCI’s Director of Research and Development. “This food is made up of many ingredients, but one critical factor keeping stem cells in a ‘stem’ state, FGF2 breaks down within hours.”
Current methodology has researchers adding fresh FGF2 seven days a week, but still, most of the FGF2 breaks down rapidly. To maintain constant growth factor levels, the NSCI team created a sustained release StemBeadFGF2 additive that steadily releases into the stem cell cultures and only has to be added twice a week. “By keeping a constant level of FGF2, the stem cells are stabilized and grow better even with just two days a week feeding,” said Dr. Fasano. “The cost savings can be huge, plus there is less manual handling of the cultures, so less concern for contamination; and, the most important thing is that the stem cells are better, they are more robust. On top of that, researchers are happy not to have to come to the lab on weekends to feed their cells.”
The technology has been licensed to a newly formed biotechnology company, StemCulture which has received many positive reviews from researchers at top institutes in the United States and from labs around the world using the StemBeadFGF2 product.
For a copy of the published manuscript, please visit the peer-reviewed article at:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0056289
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