Advantage and Core Benefit
- Efficient oxygen supply in more than 10L scale stem cell expansion with less cell damages.
- Distribution to more than hundreds of ample with uniformity and stability.
Background and Technology
Regenerative medicine using mesenchymal stem cells has been put to practical use, and clinical researches using iPSCs have also begun.
One of the challenges for popularization is to reduce the manufacturing costs through large-scale production, but mass production technology has not yet been established. Especially in culturing of pluripotent stem cells, efforts are being made to shift from the current mainstream planner culture to suspension culture, but the oxygen supply accompanying the enlargement of the tank becomes an issue. Pluripotent stem cells are vulnerable to shear stress, and shaking or bubbling damages the cells, resulting in a decrease in proliferative capacity. Also, when dispensing into hundreds or more ampules over a long period of time from a large tank for cryopreservation, stirring to maintain dispersion/uniformity will similarly damage the cells and reduce quality.
Osaka University is working to establish low-cost, high-quality cell manufacturing technology in collaboration with the industrial world through the operation of the Cell Manufacturing Center. This technology takes advantage of the unique characteristics of “composite fluids,” which remain solid under low shear forces and become fluid above a threshold. The technology applies the characteristics of a plastic fluid and cells that are maintained in a suspended state by adding polysaccharide components such as gellan gum to the culture medium (publicly known technology).
(1) Three-dimensional culture using plastic fluid
By culturing cells in a plastic fluid culture medium and oxygen is supplied by bubbling with a sparger, etc. the rising speed of bubbles in the medium is reduced, and cell damage due to shear stress is reduced.
(2) Dispensing method using plastic fluid
The cryopreservation liquid is made into a plastic fluid so that the cells are uniformly dispersed in the tank, and then the cells are dispensed by an automatic dispensing device. A nearly constant number of cells can be injected into each vial for all vials without agitating the tank during the dispense time. It has been confirmed that the plasticized cryopreservation solution does not affect cell viability.
Patent, Publications
1) PCT/JP2017/001874 (Registered in JP, US）
2) PCT/JP2019/031860 (JP, US, EP, CN, CA)
Researcher
Prof. Masahiro KINOOKA (Osaka Univ. JAPAN)
Expectations
We are seeking a partner who will in-license and develop the technology further. Joint research for tech-transfer and optimization is welcome. Details can be disclosed under CDA.
Project No: KJ-01223