Stem Cell Bioprocessing
Overview - Ultimately the translation of stem cells into viable regenerative and diagnostic technologies is dependent on reproducible techniques to produce defined cell populations at high yield. Engineering controlled systems for the scalable efficient production of stem cells requires the development of novel enabling tools and technologies that are capable of being directly integrated into bioprocessing systems.
Hydrodynamic regulation - Bioreactor systems typically used to cultivate large volumes of cells at high density impose hydrodynamic forces on cells due to fluid mixing. Recent studies from our group have demonstrated that modulation of hydrodynamic conditions can not only dictate the kinetics and size of cell aggregate formation, but also modulate the
expression of differentiated phenotypic cell markers. Thus, hydryodynamic regulation of stem cell differentiation represents a novel, yet simple principle that could be used in concert with other techniques to control cell fate decisions.