Abstract 15067: Serum-Free Cardiac Stem Cells Provide a Superior Therapeutic Product for Clinical Translation

Cardiac stem cell (CSC) therapies represent an emerging treatment option but clinical translation is limited by the use of ill-defined culture components such as fetal bovine serum. Following previous work demonstrating that serum free xeno-free culture conditions (SF) provide a smaller product with superior functional benefits, this study examines how SF or expanded SF conditions alter the antigenic signature and differentiation potential of CSCs and the mechanism(s) underlying the salutary benefits of CSC transplant. Methods/Results: The effects of SF conditions on the phenotypic signature of CSCs were investigated using a custom flow cytometry panel of 24 antibodies to evaluate the expression of cardiac, endothelial, hematopoietic, mesenchymal and stem cell markers. SF conditions did not alter the expression of 20 different antigens and had only minor effects on the CD29+, CD44+, CD31+ and Nestin+ content of CSCs. With the exception of a minor decline in SSEA-1+ cells (Δ1.0±0.1%, p=0.01 vs SF culture),...