[Novel physico-chemical regulation mechanism enables the production of 100 billion platelets].

Since induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived blood products can be produced from any individual, they are expected to complement current transfusion products. However, a main problem is how to produce 10 U platelet preparations. Therefore, we established an immortalized megakaryocyte cell line (imMKCL) from iPS cells. We also found that turbulent flow was an essential physical factor for platelet generation in vivo. This knowledge enabled us to obtain 100 billion functional platelets from imMKCL using an 8 L bioreactor. We propose that the enhanced platelet production in the bioreactor occurs due to the turbulent flow that promoted the release of stress-induced cytokines.