Toggle Main Menu Toggle Search

Open Access padlockePrints

Process parameters for the high-scale production of alginate-encapsulated stem cells for storage and distribution throughout the cell therapy supply chain

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Stephen Swioklo, Professor Che ConnonORCiD

Downloads


Licence

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).


Abstract

With the ever-increasing clinical application of cell-based therapies, it is considered critical to develop systems that facilitate the storage and distribution of cell therapy products (CTPs) between sites of manufacture and the clinic. For such systems to be realized, it is essential that downstream bioprocessing strategies be established that are scalable, reproducible and do not influence the viability or function of the living biologic. To this end, we examined alginate-encapsulation as a method to heighten the preservation of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) during hypothermic storage, and establish a scalable process for high-volume production. A drop-wise method for scalable alginate bead generation, using calcium as the cross-linker, was modified to enable the yield of up to 3,500 gelled beads per minute. The effect of alginate concentration on the viscosity of non-gelled sodium alginate and the mechanical properties and internal structure of calcium-crosslinked alginate in response to different alginate and calcium concentrations were investigated. Mechanical strength was chiefly dependent on alginate concentration and 1.2% alginate cross-linked with 100 mM calcium chloride could withstand stress in the order of 35 kPa. Upon selection of appropriate parameters, we demonstrated the suitability of using this method for immobilizing human stem cells. Encapsulated hASCs demonstrated no loss in cell viability, and had a uniform distribution after high-volume production. Following storage, released cells were able to attach and recover a normal morphology upon return to culture conditions. Thus we present a scalable method for stem cell encapsulation and storage for application within the cell therapy supply chain


Publication metadata

Author(s): Swioklo S, Ding P, Pacek AW, Connon CJ

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Process Biochemistry

Year: 2017

Volume: 59

Issue: B

Pages: 289-296

Print publication date: 01/08/2017

Online publication date: 07/06/2016

Acceptance date: 06/06/2016

Date deposited: 16/06/2016

ISSN (print): 1359-5113

ISSN (electronic): 1873-3298

Publisher: Elsevier Ltd

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.procbio.2016.06.005

DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2016.06.005


Altmetrics

Altmetrics provided by Altmetric


Funding

Funder referenceFunder name
BB/K011111/1

Share