Adult stem cells, or mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), are of great potential for cell therapy and tissue-engineering applications. However, for therapeutic use, these cells need to be isolated from tissue or a biopsy and efficiently expanded, as they cannot be harvested in sufficient quantities from the body. In our opinion, efficient expansion of MSCs can be achieved in a microcarrier-based cultivation system. This study selected a suitable microcarrier for human bone marrow-derived stromal cells (HBMSCs), optimized cell-seeding strategies by varying serum concentrations, and optimized dynamic expansion of the HBMSCs in a microcarrier-based spinner flask cultivation system by applying various feeding regimes. Cytodex 1 microcarriers in combination with a lowserum concentration (0-5%) in the medium resulted in the highest seeding efficiency for the HBMSCs. Subsequently, significant expansion of the HBMSCs on these carriers has been observed. The highest number of HBMSCs population doublings (4.8 doublings) was obtained by a combination of 50% medium refreshment combined with addition of 30% medium containing microcarriers every 3 days. Exponential cell growth was observed for at least 9 days after seeding, provided that sufficient nutrients (such as glucose) were present, metabolite concentrations (such as ammonia) were kept below growth-inhibitory concentrations and adequate surface area was present for the cells. After dynamic expansion of the HBMSCs, the cells retained their differentiation potential and their cell surface markers, indicating that HBMSCs expansion on Cytodex 1 microcarriers did not alter the phenotypic properties of the cells.

Interactions within the hematopoietic niche in the BM microenvironment are essential for maintenance of the stem cell pool. In addition, this niche is thought to serve as a sanctuary site for malignant progenitors during chemotherapy. Therapy resistance induced by interactions with the BM microenvironment is a major drawback in the treatment of hematologic malignancies and bone-metastasizing solid tumors. To date, studying these interactions was hampered by the lack of adequate in vivo models that simulate the human situation. In the present study, we describe a unique human-mouse hybrid model that allows engraftment and outgrowth of normal and malignant hematopoietic progenitors by implementing a technology for generating a human bone environment. Using luciferase gene marking of patient-derived multiple myeloma cells and bioluminescent imaging, we were able to follow pMM cells outgrowth and to visualize the effect of treatment. Therapeutic interventions in this model IntroductionIn the BM, specialized microenvironments such as hematopoietic niches regulate hematopoiesis. Within these niches, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are present in a complex network consisting of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), osteoblasts, osteoclasts, endothelial cells, and adipocytes embedded in an extracellular matrix. The bidirectional interactions with the hematopoietic niche are essential for HSC maintenance and function. [1][2][3][4] The BM niche is also thought to serve as a sanctuary site for leukemic stem cells (LSCs), which, in addition to their immortalizing genetic events, highly depend on interaction with the microenvironment to survive and proliferate. 5,6 Although the majority of leukemias initially respond to therapeutic intervention, relapse rates are high. [7][8][9] There is increasing evidence that the tumor niche plays a crucial role in the survival and drug resistance of LSCs. Interactions with the niche provide signals protecting the LSCs from apoptosis and eventually leading to the selection and outgrowth of a resistant cell. 10-13 Therefore, it is apparent that the hematopoietic niche plays an important role in hematopoietic development and in chemotherapy resistance of BM-localized leukemic and solid tumors.Although our understanding of how the BM niche regulates HSC self-renewal and confers therapy resistance has advanced greatly over the past years, most of this knowledge is based on genetic loss-of-function or gain-of-function murine models. 1,2,10,11,14 However, these murine models do not simulate human physiology and much of the constituents of the human hematopoietic niche remain largely unclear. [14][15][16] This emphasizes the need for more suitable models that recapitulate the human BM microenvironment and, very importantly, facilitate the engraftment and outgrowth of normal HSCs and patient-derived tumor cells within these protected sites.In the present study, we describe a unique humanized model that implements a novel scaffold-based technology for generating a human bone environment in RAG 2 Ϫ/Ϫ ...

Although mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been applied clinically to treat cardiac diseases, it is unclear how and to which extent transplanted MSCs exert their beneficial effects. To address these questions, pre-clinical MSC administrations are needed for which pigs appear to be the species of choice. This requires the use of porcine cells to prevent immune rejection. However, it is currently unknown to what extent porcine MSCs (pMSCs) resemble human MSCs (hMSCs). Aim of this study was to compare MSC from porcine bone marrow (BM) with human cells for phenotype, multi-lineage differentiation potential, immune-modulatory capacity and the effect on cardiac function after transplantation in a mouse model of myocardial infarction. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that pMSC expressed surface antigens also found on hMSC, including CD90, MSCA-1 (TNAP/W8B2 antigen), CD44, CD29 and SLA class I. Clonogenic outgrowth was significantly enriched following selection of CD271+ cells from BM of human and pig (129 ± 29 and 1961 ± 485 fold, respectively). hMSC and pMSC differentiated comparably into the adipogenic, osteogenic or chondrogenic lineages, although pMSC formed fat much faster than hMSC. Immuno-modulation, an important feature of hMSC, was clearly demonstrated for pMSC when co-cultured with porcine peripheral blood cells stimulated with PMA and pIL-2. Finally, pMSC transplantation after myocardial infarction attenuated adverse remodelling to a similar extent as hMSC when compared to control saline injection. These findings demonstrate that pMSCs have comparable characteristics and functionality with hMSCs, making reliable extrapolation of pre-clinical pMSC studies into a clinical setting very well possible.

One of the applications of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) that are produced by ex vivo expansion is for use in in vivo bone tissue engineering. Cultured stromal cells are a mixture of cells at different stages of commitment and expansion capability, leading to a heterogeneous cell population that each time can differ in the potential to form in vivo bone. A parameter that predicts for in vivo bone forming capacity is thus far lacking. We employed single colony-derived BMSC cultures to identify such predictive parameters. Using limiting dilution, we have produced sixteen single CFU-F derived BMSC cultures from human bone marrow and found that only five of these formed bone in vivo. The single colony-derived BMSC strains were tested for proliferation, osteogenic-, adipogenic- and chondrogenic differentiation capacity and the expression of a variety of associated markers. The only robust predictors of in vivo bone forming capacity were the induction of alkaline phosphatase, (ALP) mRNA levels and ALP activity during in vitro osteogenic differentiation. The predictive value of in vitro ALP induction was confirmed by analyzing "bulk-cultured" BMSCs from various bone marrow biopsies. Our findings show that in BMSCs, the additional increase in ALP levels over basal levels during in vitro osteogenic differentiation is predictive of in vivo performance.