110 Characterization of human mesenchymal stem cell stress response following hypothermic storage

The investigation into, and subsequent development of, human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) based technologies has grown exponentially as continued research has demonstrated numerous potential uses for these cells. These technologies range from in vivo modulation of innate hMSC to target and repair damaged tissue, to their removal and purification for treating diseases or creating in vitro engineered constructs on scaffold materials. Of particular concern when using hMSC as a cell therapy intervention is the ability to reliably store and deliver uniform functional cells. This in turn has become a limiting factor in the use and development of hMSC technologies as non-uniform sample variation impairs our understanding of downstream clinical efficacy. In an effort to improve hMSC storage protocols, this study focused on the analysis of hMSC stress response following hypothermic storage. Specifically the unfolded protein response (UPR) was examined as a mediator of post-storage response given its recent link to preservation failure in other cell systems. Further, the incorporation of two chemical agents (i.e. salubrinal and resveratrol) during storage was conducted to examine the effect of targeted modulation. The results of these investigations demonstrated a high level of cold sensitivity in hMSC, with storage in complete media or HBSS demonstrating appreciable losses in viability after 18 h and Source of funding: Funding Provided Through NIH Grant #: 1R43RR032140-01. Conflict of interest: None declared. wcorwin@cpsibiotech.com