Scaling-up ex vivo expansion of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells for cellular therapies

Abstract

The significantly large cell doses required in clinical trials with mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) demand for an efficient production of clinical- scale cell numbers. However, traditional cell culture techniques present several limitations making them unsuitable for the production of large numbers of MSC. Moreover, monitoring and control of MSC expansion are critical to provide a safe and reliable cell product for clinical settings. Bioprocess engineering, in particular bioreactors, offers the adequate tools to develop and optimize an efficient, cost- effective, and easily scalable culture system for the large-scale expansion of human MSC for cellular therapy.