Expansion of human pluripotent stem cells

•Fully defined and xeno-free culture components have been developed.•Synthetic 2D substrates have achieved high expansion rates.•Improved long-term passage on 2D or in 3D suspension will be useful.•Thermoresponsive gels allow long-term, high viability passaging and expansion.•Demonstrating capacity for large-scale automation in 3D is needed.

Large numbers of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are needed to meet the high demands of a range of biomedical applications, including cell replacement therapies and drug screening. Recent advances in media formulations and cell culture platforms have addressed many previous challenges that have hindered efficient expansion. Understanding and addressing the remaining challenges will further facilitate the development of technologies for large-scale hPSC expansion and, to an increasing extent, differentiation.

Graphical abstractDownload high-res image (190KB)Download full-size image