A research group led by Professor Chen Yong of the Institute for Integrated Cell-Materials Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University, in collaboration with Gunze Co., Ltd., uses "cloth" as a foothold to enable mass culture of human ES / iPS cells. For the first time in the world, we succeeded in developing a cell culture substrate.
Human ES / iPS cells are expected to play an active role in regenerative medicine and drug discovery.However, in practical use, it was difficult to obtain a sufficient number of cells in the conventional two-dimensional (planar) cell culture using a culture dish or a flask because the space could not be utilized well.In recent years, a culture method in which cells are suspended in a liquid has been attracting attention as a mass cell culture method, but cell stress due to irregular cell aggregation and stirring affects the quality.
Therefore, this research group focused on "nanofibers" that have been put into practical use in fields such as filters.By using nanofibers as an artificial scaffold for cells, it is possible to promote proliferation while maintaining the undifferentiated state of human ES / iPS cells.
Since nanofibers are fragile as a material and could not be applied to mass culture, in this research, we combined nanofibers with physically strong microfibers to create a new durable base material, "Fiber-on-Fiber". (Fiber on Fiber) ”was developed.Furthermore, by enclosing this substrate in a gas-permeable cell culture bag and utilizing the space inside the bag, we have succeeded in developing a method that enables mass culture of human ES / iPS cells without stressing the cells. ..Using these, we were able to obtain extremely efficient cell proliferation efficiency, which is unprecedented in the world.
Based on this result, it is expected to contribute to the development of drug discovery and regenerative medicine in the future by preparing the necessary amount of cells for inducing differentiation into target tissue cells.
