[EspanaCamsInfo]

PBR Staff Writer
Published 05 April 2012

Researchers from the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME), Canada, have developed a new technique to produce cost-effective, large-scale stem cell cultures.

Post-doctoral researcher David Fluri and professor Peter Zandstra of IBBME were involved in the discovery.

To overcome the difficulties in manufacturing enough viable cells from a culture, Fluri decided to pair the stem cell creation process, known as reprogramming, with the use of a bioreactor which creates stable environmental conditions.

Using the new process, the stem cells were grown in suspension, eliminating the problems inherent in growing the cells on surfaces.
The new growing process has the potential to make the phase of cell production safer and more stable, researchers said.

The developed stem cells can be differentiated into cardiac cells, which could then be used for drug screening and identifying new drugs for cardiac diseases.