Technology
Bioreactor technology for adult stem cell expansion
The adult stem cells or mesenchymal stem cells have the capacity to form various types of tissue such as bone, cartilage, neurons, fat, endothelium and cardiac muscle. These cells have therefore both a therapeutic (clinical) and a research use.
Grassel & Ahmed, Frontiers in Bioscience 12: 4946-56 (2007)
An expansion system that yields controlled and reproducible results
The principal source of adult stem cells is bone marrow. But even here they are present in very small numbers. To be therapeutically effective, for eg. cardiac regeneration, adult stem cells need to be harvested and expanded up to a million-fold. The major obstacle today is that there is no reliable method by which adult stem cells can be expanded to meaningful quantities in a controlled, reproducible and cost-effective way. Xpands’ bioreactor system aims to overcome this obstacle. The platform technology is based on the development of an innovative automated, closed bioreactor system placed on location in the hospital with which patient-own adult stem cells can be culture expanded in clinically required quantities (expansion to 200 to 800 million cells can be easily achieved).
Expanded bone marrow derived adult stem cells
In practice, this system should allow the surgeon to inject a fresh bone marrow aspirate of several cc (containing a few hundred adult stem cells) in the closed bioreactor. The adult stem cells are then culture expanded in a fully automated fashion. Therefore 3D culturing conditions are set up to increase the number of cells without increasing the culturing volume.
Human MSCs in 2D (left - tissue culture flask, magnification 40x) and 3D (right –microcarriers, magnification 200x).
A few weeks later the cells can be harvested and used for autologous (patient-own) implantation to treat various tissue disorders varying from bone defects to cardiovascular disease.
Potential uses for Xpands stem cells
From a therapeutic perspective the potential for adult stem cells is vast. They can be used to regenerate or replace many tissues of our body. Several experimental studies have already shown the potential of adult stem cells in the regeneration of infarcted heart muscle by injection of these cells near the infarcted site, and in the treatment of musculo-skeletal disorders, repairing large bone and cartilage defects. Other clinical applications currently being investigated are Osteogenesis Imperfecta, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Osteogenesis Chondrogenesis Adipogenesis
Differentiation potential of expanded adult stem cells.
In addition, adult stem cells can furthermore be used as a screening platform for the discovery and identification of new drugs, small molecules and genes.