Translational 3D Cell Culture Systems for Clinically Compliant Expansion of Adult Stem Cells and Isolation of Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles

Abstract

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Since its early days, ex vivo mammalian cell culture has been conducted on flat two-dimensional (2D) glass or polystyrene surfaces. Although 2D cell culture is still widely used, it is known to result in unnatural cell polarity and morphology in addition to lacking the three-dimensional extracellular matrix. These drawbacks are especially evident if the cultivated cells are clinically relevant cell types including but not limited to stem cells. In this context, 2D cultivation is known to interfere with stem cell proliferation and to alter the cell phenotype. In this talk, different approaches to stem cell cultivation, differentiation, and assessment of migration in 3D will be discussed. In particular, biocompatible natural and synthetic scaffolds for the cultivation of adult human neural crest-derived stem cells and human mesenchymal stem cells of different origin will be presented. Moreover, the impact of extracellular vesicles derived from adult human stem cells will be discussed in the context of their regenerative potential.