The authenticity, sterility, and stability of culturing human pluripotent stem cells

Abstract

Cultivation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is necessary for experimental demand or clinical application. The culture of human stem cells shares many of the same standards as mammalian somatic cell culture. Since the cells in culture are exposed to a different environment from the environment of the living body, the cells per se tend to adapt and adapt to the culture conditions. Particularly, they can be easily affected by external pathogen or culture environment because hPSCs are dynamic cells with pluripotency and regeneration ability [1]. In addition, the method of maintaining undifferentiated state during longterm culture without loss of regeneration ability or pluripotency may affect the characteristics of cells resulting in changes of the authenticity, and instability of hPSCs. Qualitative assessments during the culture of hPSCs include purity, viability, morphological appearance, confluency (the percentage of the surface of a culture dish that is covered by adherent cells), functionality, contamination and cross-contamination, authenticity, differentiation state, and identification of genetic stability [1]. Among them, the key elements of cultivation of hPSCs would be authenticity, sterility, and stability of cell lines [1,2].