Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) hold great promise for tissue engineering applications and cell‐based therapies. Large cell doses (>1 × 106 cells kg−1) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)‐compliant processes are however required for clinical purposes. Here, a serum‐ and xenogeneic‐free (S/XF) microcarrier‐based culture system is established for the expansion of human umbilical cord matrix (UCM)‐ and adipose tissue (AT)‐derived MSC using the Vertical‐Wheel system (PBS‐0.1 MAG; PBS Biotech). UCM and AT MSC are expanded to maximum cell densities of 5.3 ± 0.4 × 105 cell mL−1 (n = 3) and 3.6 ± 0.7 × 105 cell mL−1 (n = 3), respectively, after 7 days of culture, while maintaining their identity, according to standard criteria. An economic evaluation of the process transfer from T‐flasks to PBS‐0.1 MAG shows a reduction in the costs associated with the production of a dose for an average 70 kg adult patient (i.e., 70 million cells). Costs decrease from $17.0 K to $11.1 K for UCM MSC and from $21.5 K to $11.1 K for AT MSC, proving that the transition to Vertical‐Wheel reactors provides a cost‐effective alternative for MSC expansion. The present work reports the establishment of a scalable and cost‐effective culture platform for the manufacturing of UCM and AT MSC in a S/XF microcarrier‐based system.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.