StemStation · On-demand hydrogel microbeads mass production by inkjet bioprinting for stem cell large-scale cultivation
Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2023-06-01 → 2025-05-31
- EU contribution
- €195,915
- Participants
- 2
- Scheme
- HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
On-demand hydrogel microbeads mass production by inkjet bioprinting for stem cell large-scale cultivation
The increasing demand for efficient three-dimensional (3D) cell culture methods, particularly for mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs), has driven the development of innovative biofabrication techniques. Traditional microcarrier-based bioprocessing faces limitations, such as complex cell separation, sedimentation issues, and scalability constraints. This study aims to address these challenges by developing an on-demand inkjet micro-valve bioprinting method for producing hydrogel microcarriers tailored for adipose-derived MSC (AD-MSC) culture. This approach leverages bioprinting technology to enhance cell viability, proliferation, and scalability, offering a novel alternative for cell therapy and bioproduction applications. By optimizing bioink composition and jetting parameters, this research provides a customizable, efficient, and scalable solution to advance regenerative medicine and industrial bioprocessing.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The aim of the StemStation project is to propose a novel strategy for human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) cultivation and production allowing to overcome the current limitations faced by manufacturers to develop efficient and scalable processes to answer the market demand. The main strategy is to exploit the inkjet bioprinting technology to manufacture MSCs-loaded microbeads of a hydrogel for cell expansion and production scale-up. This strategy will allow the on-demand fabrication of cell-loaded customized microbeads directly inside the bioreactor. Thus, StemStation is proposing an all-included production system for MSCs with a clear objective of shortening the expansion steps in a scale-up process. Such methodological and technological innovation has the potential to be further transferred to other adherent cell bioproduction systems. Current large-scale MSCs production strategies are strongly focused on solid microcarrier cultivation where cells are adhered on their surface. Such microcarriers are then suspended in production tanks where standard cultivation protocols must be specifically optimized. Such technologies are commonly limited by the cell source, the cell-microcarrier interaction, as well as the lack of an easy to handle, robust, transferable, and scalable process. STEMSTATION targets to overcome problematics by offering an original and innovative production strategy which will bring novel scientific knowledge in the field of bioproduction, stem cell growth, inkjet bioprinting, proliferative biomaterials, and clinical grade transfer of large-scale cultivation process of human MSCs.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/101108475
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e50514f34a&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e519ce945f&appId=PPGMS
Data: CORDIS, © European Union