Microcarrier Suspension Cultures for High-Density Expansion and Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells to Neural Progenitor Cells

Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can be differentiated to neural cells that model neurodegenerative diseases and be used in the screening of potential drugs to ameliorate the disease phenotype. Traditionally, NPCs are produced in 2D cultures, in low yields, using a laborious process that includes generation of embryonic bodies, plating, and colony selections. To simplify the process and generate large numbers of hiPSC-derived NPCs, we introduce a microcarrier (MC) system for the expansion of a hiPSC line and its subsequent differentiation to NPC, using iPS (IMR90) as a model cell line. In the expansion stage, a process of cell propagation in serum-free MC culture was developed first in static culture, which is then scaled up in stirred spinner flasks. A 7.7-fold expansion of iPS (IMR90) and cell yield of 1.3×106 cells/mL in 7 days of static MC culture were achieved. These cells maintained expression of OCT 3/4 and TRA-1–60 and possessed a normal kar...