Stem Cell Bioprocessing: For Cellular Therapy, Diagnostics and Drug Development (Woodhead Publishing Series in Biomedicine)

Summary: Stem cell bioprocessing describes the main large-scale bioprocessing strategies for both stem cell culture and purification, envisaging the application of these cells for regenerative medicine and drug screening. Bioreactor configurations are described, including their applications for stem cell expansion and/or differentiation. Stem cell separation techniques are also discussed, aiming towards both isolation and purification of rare stem cell populations. For a better understanding of these processes, basic definitions are provided concerning the different types of stem cells, from adult stem cells to the more recent and promising induced pluripotent stem cells. The main characteristics of these different stem cell types are described, alongside the molecular mechanisms underlying their self-renewal and differentiation. The book also focuses on methodologies currently used for in vitro stem cell culture under static conditions, including the challenge of xeno-free culture conditions, as well as culture parameters that influence stem cell culture. Novel approaches for both stem cell culture and separation in micro-scale conditions are presented, including the use of cellular microarrays for high-throughput screening of the effect of both soluble and extracellular matrix molecules and the use of microfluidic devices for both stem cell culture and separation. A further section is dedicated to application of stem cells for regenerative medicine including on-going clinical trials. About the authors: Dr. Tiago G. Fernandes is currently a Post-doctoral research fellow at the Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Lisbon, Portugal. His research interests are focused on the development of artificial cellular niches for studying the mechanisms that affect human stem cell pluripotency, and aim at contributing to a better understanding of the cellular and molecular events that regulate stem cell functions. During his doctoral studies he also worked at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY, USA, in the development of microscale platforms for high-throughput studies of stem cell fate. His work has earned him the prestigious Malcolm Lilly award, presented to a promising young scientist or engineer working in the biochemical engineering field, at the 7th European Symposium on Biochemical Engineering Science (2008). Dr. Maria Margarida Diogo received her PhD degree in Biotechnology from Instituto Superior Tecnico from January 2000 to April 2004. Her thesis was dedicated to the development of Bioprocesses for Production and Purification of Plasmid DNA for Gene Therapy and DNA vaccines. As a result of this work, a United States Patent was published in 2007. From April 2004 to March 2008 she received a post-doctoral fellowship to work in the field of Stem Cell Bioengineering and she is presently a Research Scientist at the Stem Cell Bioengineering Laboratory at Instituto Superior Tecnico. Dr. Joaquim M. S. Cabral is Professor of Biological Engineering, in the Department of Bioengineering at Instituto Superior Tecnico (IST), Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal. He was the founder and current Head of Department of Bioengineering, and the Director of the Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, a Research Laboratory Associated to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education in Portugal. He obtained his Diploma in Chemical Engineering from IST in 1976. His Ph.D. and \'Habilitation\' degrees in Biochemical Engineering were obtained from IST in 1982 and 1988, respectively. After a post-doctoral study at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983-1984, he joined IST Faculty as Assistant Professor and became a Full Professor in 1992. He has published over 370 research papers and co-authored or edited six books. Contents: Stem cells; Stem cell culture; Bioreactors for stem cell culture; Stem cell bioseparation; Micro-scale technologies for stem cell culture and separation; Stem cells and regenerative medicine