| Summary: | The main limitations of hematopoietic cord blood (CB) transplantation, viz. low cell dosage and delayed reconstitution, can be overcome by ex-vivo expansion. CB expansion under conventional culture causes the rapid cell differentiation and depletion of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC) responsible for engraftment. Here, we use combinatorial cell culture technology (CombiCult®) to identify media formulations that promote CD133+ CB HSPC proliferation while maintaining their phenotypic characteristics. We employed second generation CombiCult® screens that use electro-spraying technology to encapsulate CB cells in alginate beads. Our results suggest that, not only the combination, but also the order of addition of individual components has a profound influence on expansion of specific HSPC populations. Top protocols identified by the CombiCult® screen were used to culture human CD133+ CB HSPCs on nanofiber scaffolds and validate the expansion of the phenotypically defined CD34+CD38lo/-CD45RA-CD90+CD49f+ population of hematopoietic stem cells and their differentiation into defined progeny.
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