Blu-ray disc technology leads to breakthrough in stem cell culture
29 July 2011
Scientists from the universities of Southampton and Glasgow
have uncovered a new method for culturing adult stem cells using
injection-moulded plastic with microscopic pits. The discovery could
lead to the creation of new stem cell therapies for conditions such as
arthritis, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
The
research, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research
Council (BBSRC) and the University of Glasgow and published in the
journal Nature Materials, shows how a new nanoscale plastic can
cheaply and easily solve a problem which has previously made the
expansion of stem cells for therapeutic purposes impossible.
Currently, when adult stem cells are harvested from a patient, they are
cultured in the laboratory to increase the initial yield of cells and
create a batch of sufficient volume to kick-start the process of
cellular regeneration when they are reintroduced back into the patient.
The process of culturing is made more difficult by spontaneous stem
cell differentiation, where stem cells grown on standard plastic tissue
culture surfaces do not expand to create new stem cells but instead
create other cells which are of no use in therapy. Currently, stem cell
expansion is often boosted by immersing the cells in chemical solutions
which help to increase the overall yield of stem cells but are limited
in their effectiveness.
The new nanopatterned surface, developed
and fabricated at the University of Glasgow, is designed to offer a
method of stem cell expansion which is much easier to manufacture and
use than anything currently available. Created by an injection-moulding
process similar to that which is used to manufacture Blu-ray discs, the
surface is covered with 120-nanometre pits which the researchers have
found is much more effective in allowing stem cells to grow and spread
whilst retaining their stem cell characteristics.
Dr Matthew
Dalby from the University of Glasgow, who led the research alongside
colleagues Dr Nikolaj Gadegaard and Professor Richard Oreffo of the
University of Southampton, explains: “Until now, it’s been very
difficult to grow stem cells in sufficient numbers and maintain them as
stem cells for use in therapy. What we and our colleagues at the
University of Southampton have shown is that this new nanostructured
surface can be used to very effectively culture mesencyhmal stem cells,
taken from sources such as bone marrow, which can then be put to use in
musculoskeletal, orthopaedic and connective tissues.”.
“If the
same process can be used to culture other types of stem cells too, and
this research in under way in our labs, our technology could be the
first step on the road to developing large-scale stem cell culture
factories which would allow for the creation of a wide range of
therapies for many common diseases such as diabetes, arthritis,
Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. We’re very excited about
the potential applications of the technology and we’re already in the
early stages of conversations to make the surface commercially
available.”
Professor Richard Oreffo, who led the University of
Southampton team, adds: “Development of platform technologies that allow
the scale up of skeletal or mesenchymal stem cells offers a whole new
approach to skeletal regenerative medicine. If this new technology
enables us to create sufficient stem cells, and to pattern hip implants,
for example, it could herald the development of new medical devices with
therapeutic application and approaches to understanding stem cell fate
and regulation.
“It is important to realise the ability to retain
skeletal stem cell phenotype using surface topography offers a step
change in current approaches for stem cell biology. The implications for
research and future interventions for patients with arthritis and other
musculoskeletal diseases are substantial.”
Professor Douglas
Kell, Chief Executive, BBSRC says: “Understanding how stem cells are
affected by their environment is key to appreciating how they might be
grown in sufficient quantities to be used in research or as therapies.
This research shows that the physical surface that the cells are grown
on can actually affect their fundamental biology in ways that are useful
for us.
“Multidisciplinary research is increasingly important
and this project is a great example where cell biology, medicine, and
engineering come together in powerful synergy to solve a complex
problem.”
Reference
1. Rebecca J. McMurray, Nikolaj Gadegaard, P. Monica Tsimbouri, Karl V. Burgess, Laura E. McNamara, Rahul Tare, Kate Murawski, Emmajayne Kingham, Richard O. C. Oreffo & Matthew J. Dalby. Nanoscale surfaces for the long-term maintenance of mesenchymalstem cell phenotype and multipotency. Nature Materials, 10, 637–644 (2011). doi:10.1038/nmat3058