BONE MARROW STEM CELL CULTURE IN A PERFUSION BIOREACTOR

THE ABILITY TO EXPAND HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL POPULATIONS IN VITRO WOULD BE OF OBVIOUS ADVANTAGE IN BOTH AUTOLOGOUS AND ALLOGENEIC BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION. STEM CELL PROPAGATION REQUIRES INTERACTION WITH ADHERENT STROMAL SUPPORT CELLS AND CAN BE PERFORMED IN CONVENTIONAL TISSUE CULTURE AND ON FLOATING NYLON MESH SCREENS. THE PERFUSION-BASED BIOREACTORS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ARE CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING CELL GROWTH AT EXTREMELY HIGH DENSITY AND GREATLY IMPROVE CELL PERFORMANCE BUT DO NOT LEND THEMSELVES TO RECOVERY OF VIABLE CESS. THE SYSTEM IS BASED ON AN ARRAY OF FLAT MEMBRANES WHICH CAN BOTH SUPPORT GROWTH OF PURIFIED STROMAL CELL LINES, AND ALLOW HARVESTING OF VIABLE NON-ADHERENT CELLS. THE SYSTEM WILL NOT ONLY PROVIDE A MEANS FOR PROGENITOR CELL GROWTH AND DIFFERENTIATION, BUT WILL ALSO PROVIDE A MODEL FOR STUDYING OTHER QUESTIONS OF HEMATOLOGICAL INTEREST.