Mapping the microcarrier design pathway to modernise clinical mesenchymal stromal cell expansion

Gretel S Major; Vinh K Doan; Alessia Longoni; Marcela M M Bilek; Steven G Wise; Jelena Rnjak-Kovacina; Giselle C Yeo; Khoon S Lim

doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.01.001

Mapping the microcarrier design pathway to modernise clinical mesenchymal stromal cell expansion

Trends Biotechnol. 2024 Feb 5:S0167-7799(24)00001-5. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.01.001. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Gretel S Major¹, Vinh K Doan¹, Alessia Longoni², Marcela M M Bilek³, Steven G Wise⁴, Jelena Rnjak-Kovacina⁵, Giselle C Yeo⁶, Khoon S Lim⁷

Affiliations

¹ School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
² Department of Orthopedics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
³ School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; School of Physics, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Sydney Nano Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
⁴ School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
⁵ Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Tyree Institute of Health Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
⁶ Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: giselle.yeo@sydney.edu.au.
⁷ School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Sydney Nano Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: khoon.lim@sydney.edu.au.

PMID: 38320911
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.01.001

Abstract

Microcarrier expansion systems show exciting potential to revolutionise mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-based clinical therapies by providing an opportunity for economical large-scale expansion of donor- and patient-derived cells. The poor reproducibility and efficiency of cell expansion on commercial polystyrene microcarriers have driven the development of novel microcarriers with tuneable physical, mechanical, and cell-instructive properties. These new microcarriers show innovation toward improving cell expansion outcomes, although their limited biological characterisation and compatibility with dynamic culture systems suggest the need to realign the microcarrier design pathway. Clear headway has been made toward developing infrastructure necessary for scaling up these technologies; however, key challenges remain in characterising the wholistic effects of microcarrier properties on the biological fate and function of expanded MSCs.

Keywords: biomaterials; bioreactors; cell attachment; differentiation; dynamic culture; surface modifications.

Publication types

Review