A two-stage perfusion fibrous bed bioreactor system for mass production of embryonic stem cells

Background: Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have unlimited proliferation potential and can differentiate into all cell and tissue types, and thus are ideal sources for cell therapy and drug screening. Current supplies of ESCs are limited by the available cell sources and inefficient culture methods that grow ESCs on surfaces coated with expensive extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and in media containing expensive growth factors. Objective: To meet the demand for ESCs, it is necessary to develop an economical process for their mass production. Methods: We review the latest development in in vitro ESC culture and introduce a two-stage perfusion bioreactor system that uses 3-D fibrous matrices and conditioned media for production of ESCs. Results/conclusion: The two-stage process can produce billions of ESCs in a small bioreactor without using ECM proteins and growth factors, and is promising for further scale-up for clinical applications.