Biomanufacturing of human mesenchymal stem cells in cell therapy: Influence of microenvironment on scalable expansion in bioreactors

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are the primary candidate in cell therapy and have demonstrated significant potential in a wide range of diseases. The clinical translation of hMSC therapy requires robust and scalable expansion technology for the biomanufacturing of therapeutically competent cells. By nature, hMSCs are highly sensitive and responsive to the microenvironments and their therapeutic potency is significantly influenced by the culture conditions during expansion. Here, we discuss the emerging roles of microenvironments in regulating hMSC fate and the implication of regulating hMSC microenvironment to achieve scalable hMSC expansion in bioreactors.