Ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells using defined culture media

Ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is frequently exploited to overcome the limited availability of HSCs and progenitors for clinical applications. The use of conventional basal cell culture medium supplemented with bovine serum often has resulted in unpredictable HSC expansion and presents potential exposure to adventitious agents (AVAs). For this reason, we have investigated the development of defined cell culture reagents capable of supporting optimal HSC ex vivo expansion and differentiation. One of the developed formulations was capable of expanding and maintaining the CD34+ population to levels comparable or greater than that of commercially available media. In summary, preliminary tests of a panel of formulations have confirmed that CD34+ HSCs can be expanded and maintained in a defined medium for up to 14 days, and extensive proliferation and expansion into hematopoietic lineages are achievable with administered cytokine cocktails.