Development of a cost-effective large-scale culturing platform to derive hematopoietic cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)

In 2007, the groundbreaking finding by Yamanaka et al. that adult cells can be reprogrammed into a stem cell state (induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSC) similar to embryonic stem cells defined an entirely new area of ​​research. The potential of iPSC to mature into any human cell has greatly increased the prospect of regenerative medicine using transplantable cells. Examples currently in clinical trials are for instance cancer targeting immune cells and retina stem cell transplants. We established turbulent bioreactor conditions and protocols in our lab to culture blood cells from iPSC. However, large-scale production of blood cells currently relies on non-chemically defined media. This makes media optimisation virtually impossible, while this is a prerequisite for translation to large closed bioreactor systems. In this project, we specifically focus on formulating media and understanding the consumption of media components to enable blood cell production from iPSC. We will test and optimise scalable culture conditions, which are the most optimal for the maturation of iPSC and which should eventually also lead to sufficient numbers of cultured blood cells. The outcome of this project will pave the way for the production of advanced therapeutic drugs (ATMPs) from iPSC. Cost-effective production of ATMPs will reduce healthcare costs while providing new treatments for a range of diseases.