Selection for CD26 and CD49A Cells From Pluripotent Stem Cells-Derived Islet-Like Clusters Improves Therapeutic Activity in Diabetic Mice.

Background: Cell therapy of diabetes aims at restoring the physiological control of blood glucose by transplantation of functional pancreatic islet cells. A potentially unlimited source of cells for such transplantations would be islet cells derived from an differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hESC/hiPSC). The islet-like clusters (ILC) produced by the known differentiation protocols contain various cell populations.

Scalable Expansion of Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Large-scale expansion of pluripotent stem cells (PSC) in a robust, well-defined, and monitored process is essential for production of cell-based therapeutic products. The transition from laboratory-scale protocols to industrial-scale production is one of the first milestones to be achieved in order to use both human embryonic stem cells (ESC) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) as the starting material for cellular products. The methods to be developed require adjustment of the culture platforms, optimization of culture parameters, and adaptation of downstream procedures.

Microfluidic Concentric Gradient Generator Design for High-Throughput Cell-Based Studies.

Gradients of diffusible signaling molecules play important role in various processes, ranging from cell differentiation to toxicological evaluation. Microfluidic technology provides an accurate control of tempospatial conditions. However, current microfluidic platforms are not designed to handle multiple gradients and cell populations simultaneously.

Microbial-derived lithocholic acid and vitamin K2 drive the metabolic maturation of pluripotent stem cells-derived and fetal hepatocytes.

Unlabelled: The liver is the main organ responsible for the modification, clearance, and transformational toxicity of most xenobiotics owing to its abundance in cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes. However, the scarcity and variability of primary hepatocytes currently limits their utility. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) represent an excellent source of differentiated hepatocytes; however, current protocols still produce fetal-like hepatocytes with limited mature function.