Alternative Biomaterial Substrates for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Culture

Pp: 65-91 (27)

* (Excluding Mailing and Handling)

Abstract

The additive effect of stem cell therapy and biomaterial substrates provides exciting opportunities for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. Nanofibrous substrates can be fabricated to mimic the nano-architectural structure of specific, native tissue extracellular matrix. This provides topographical structure and contact guidance, which can impact stem cell biology as well as direct their differentiation towards specific lineages. This chapter highlights nanofibrous substrates as an alternative tool for the expansion and differentiation of embryonic stem cells. Future applications of such technology could promote the use of hESC-derived cells for clinical applications.

Keywords: Biomimetic, clonogenicity, embryonic stem cells, electrospinning, nanotechology, feeder layers, MatrigelTM, nanofiber substrates, synthetic polymers.