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Haskell A, White BP, Rogers RE, Goebel E, Lopez MG, Syvyk AE, de Oliveira DA, Barreda HA, Benton J, Benavides OR, Dalal S, Bae E, Zhang Y, Maitland K, Nikolov Z, Liu F, Lee RH, Kaunas R, Gregory CA. Scalable manufacture of therapeutic mesenchymal stromal cell products on customizable microcarriers in vertical wheel bioreactors that improve direct visualization, product harvest, and cost. Cytotherapy 2024; 26:372-382. [PMID: 38363250 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2024.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AIMS Human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) and their secreted products show great promise for treatment of musculoskeletal injury and inflammatory or immune diseases. However, the path to clinical utilization is hampered by donor-tissue variation and the inability to manufacture clinically relevant yields of cells or their products in a cost-effective manner. Previously we described a method to produce chemically and mechanically customizable gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) microcarriers for culture of hMSCs. Herein, we demonstrate scalable GelMA microcarrier-mediated expansion of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived hMSCs (ihMSCs) in 500 mL and 3L vertical wheel bioreactors, offering several advantages over conventional microcarrier and monolayer-based expansion strategies. METHODS Human mesenchymal stromal cells derived from induced pluripotent cells were cultured on custom-made spherical gelatin methacryloyl microcarriers in single-use vertical wheel bioreactors (PBS Biotech). Cell-laden microcarriers were visualized using confocal microscopy and elastic light scattering methodologies. Cells were assayed for viability and differentiation potential in vitro by standard methods. Osteogenic cell matrix derived from cells was tested in vitro for osteogenic healing using a rodent calvarial defect assay. Immune modulation was assayed with an in vivo peritonitis model using Zymozan A. RESULTS The optical properties of GelMA microcarriers permit noninvasive visualization of cells with elastic light scattering modalities, and harvest of product is streamlined by microcarrier digestion. At volumes above 500 mL, the process is significantly more cost-effective than monolayer culture. Osteogenic cell matrix derived from ihMSCs expanded on GelMA microcarriers exhibited enhanced in vivo bone regenerative capacity when compared to bone morphogenic protein 2, and the ihMSCs exhibited superior immunosuppressive properties in vivo when compared to monolayer-generated ihMSCs. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that the cell expansion strategy described here represents a superior approach for efficient generation, monitoring and harvest of therapeutic MSCs and their products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Haskell
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Texas A&M School of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Berkley P White
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Robert E Rogers
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Texas A&M School of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Erin Goebel
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Texas A&M School of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Megan G Lopez
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Texas A&M School of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Andrew E Syvyk
- National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Daniela A de Oliveira
- National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA; Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Heather A Barreda
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Texas A&M School of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Joshua Benton
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Texas A&M School of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Oscar R Benavides
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Sujata Dalal
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Texas A&M School of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - EunHye Bae
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Texas A&M School of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Texas A&M School of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Kristen Maitland
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA; Imaging Program, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Redwood City, California, USA
| | - Zivko Nikolov
- National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA; Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Fei Liu
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Texas A&M School of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Ryang Hwa Lee
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Texas A&M School of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Roland Kaunas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
| | - Carl A Gregory
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Texas A&M School of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA.
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Benavides OR, Gibbs HC, White BP, Kaunas R, Gregory CA, Walsh AJ, Maitland KC. Volumetric imaging of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) for non-destructive quantification of 3D cell culture growth. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0282298. [PMID: 36976801 PMCID: PMC10047548 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The adoption of cell-based therapies into the clinic will require tremendous large-scale expansion to satisfy future demand, and bioreactor-microcarrier cultures are best suited to meet this challenge. The use of spherical microcarriers, however, precludes in-process visualization and monitoring of cell number, morphology, and culture health. The development of novel expansion methods also motivates the advancement of analytical methods used to characterize these microcarrier cultures. A robust optical imaging and image-analysis assay to non-destructively quantify cell number and cell volume was developed. This method preserves 3D cell morphology and does not require membrane lysing, cellular detachment, or exogenous labeling. Complex cellular networks formed in microcarrier aggregates were imaged and analyzed in toto. Direct cell enumeration of large aggregates was performed in toto for the first time. This assay was successfully applied to monitor cellular growth of mesenchymal stem cells attached to spherical hydrogel microcarriers over time. Elastic scattering and fluorescence lightsheet microscopy were used to quantify cell volume and cell number at varying spatial scales. The presented study motivates the development of on-line optical imaging and image analysis systems for robust, automated, and non-destructive monitoring of bioreactor-microcarrier cell cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar R. Benavides
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Holly C. Gibbs
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- Microscopy and Imaging Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Berkley P. White
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Roland Kaunas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Carl A. Gregory
- School of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, Texas, United States of America
| | - Alex J. Walsh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Kristen C. Maitland
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- Microscopy and Imaging Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
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Hu L, Morganti S, Nguyen U, Benavides OR, Walsh AJ. Label-free optical imaging of cell function and collagen structure for cell-based therapies. Curr Opin Biomed Eng 2023; 25:100433. [PMID: 36642995 PMCID: PMC9836225 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobme.2022.100433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cell-based therapies harness functional cells or tissues to mediate healing and treat disease. Assessment of cellular therapeutics requires methods that are non-destructive to ensure therapies remain viable and uncontaminated for use in patients. Optical imaging of endogenous collagen, by second-harmonic generation, and the metabolic coenzymes NADH and FAD, by autofluorescence microscopy, provides tissue structure and cellular information. Here, we review applications of label-free nonlinear optical imaging of cellular metabolism and collagen second-harmonic generation for assessing cell-based therapies. Additionally, we discuss the potential of label-free imaging for quality control of cell-based therapies, as well as the current limitations and potential future directions of label-free imaging technologies.
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Gibbs HC, Sarasamma S, Benavides OR, Green DG, Hart NA, Yeh AT, Maitland KC, Lekven AC. Quantifiable Intravital Light Sheet Microscopy. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2440:181-196. [PMID: 35218540 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2051-9_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Live imaging of zebrafish embryos that maintains normal development can be difficult to achieve due to a combination of sample mounting, immobilization, and phototoxicity issues that, once overcome, often still results in image quality sufficiently poor that computer-aided analysis or even manual analysis is not possible. Here, we describe our mounting strategy for imaging the zebrafish midbrain-hindbrain boundary (MHB) with light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) and pilot experiments to create a study-specific set of parameters for semiautomatically tracking cellular movements in the embryonic midbrain primordium during zebrafish segmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly C Gibbs
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
- Microscopy and Imaging Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
| | - Sreeja Sarasamma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Oscar R Benavides
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - David G Green
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Nathan A Hart
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Alvin T Yeh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Kristen C Maitland
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Microscopy and Imaging Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Arne C Lekven
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
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Rogers RE, Haskell A, White BP, Dalal S, Lopez M, Tahan D, Pan S, Kaur G, Kim H, Barreda H, Woodard SL, Benavides OR, Dai J, Zhao Q, Maitland KC, Han A, Nikolov ZL, Liu F, Lee RH, Gregory CA, Kaunas R. A scalable system for generation of mesenchymal stem cells derived from induced pluripotent cells employing bioreactors and degradable microcarriers. Stem Cells Transl Med 2021; 10:1650-1665. [PMID: 34505405 PMCID: PMC8641084 DOI: 10.1002/sctm.21-0151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are effective in treating disorders resulting from an inflammatory or heightened immune response. The hMSCs derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (ihMSCs) share the characteristics of tissue derived hMSCs but lack challenges associated with limited tissue sources and donor variation. To meet the expected future demand for ihMSCs, there is a need to develop scalable methods for their production at clinical yields while retaining immunomodulatory efficacy. Herein, we describe a platform for the scalable expansion and rapid harvest of ihMSCs with robust immunomodulatory activity using degradable gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) microcarriers. GelMA microcarriers were rapidly and reproducibly fabricated using a custom microfluidic step emulsification device at relatively low cost. Using vertical wheel bioreactors, 8.8 to 16.3‐fold expansion of ihMSCs was achieved over 8 days. Complete recovery by 5‐minute digestion of the microcarriers with standard cell dissociation reagents resulted in >95% viability. The ihMSCs matched or exceeded immunomodulatory potential in vitro when compared with ihMSCs expanded on monolayers. This is the first description of a robust, scalable, and cost‐effective method for generation of immunomodulatory ihMSCs, representing a significant contribution to their translational potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert E Rogers
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Andrew Haskell
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Berkley P White
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, Emerging Technologies Building, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Sujata Dalal
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Megan Lopez
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Daniel Tahan
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Simin Pan
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Gagandeep Kaur
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Hyemee Kim
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Heather Barreda
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Susan L Woodard
- National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Oscar R Benavides
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, Emerging Technologies Building, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Jing Dai
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, Wisenbaker Engineering Building, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Qingguo Zhao
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Kristen C Maitland
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, Emerging Technologies Building, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Arum Han
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, Emerging Technologies Building, College Station, Texas, USA.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, Wisenbaker Engineering Building, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Zivko L Nikolov
- National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.,Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, Scoates Hall, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Fei Liu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Ryang Hwa Lee
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Carl A Gregory
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, USA
| | - Roland Kaunas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, Emerging Technologies Building, College Station, Texas, USA
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Hinsdale TA, Malik BH, Cheng S, Benavides OR, Giger ML, Wright JM, Patel PB, Jo JA, Maitland KC. Enhanced detection of oral dysplasia by structured illumination fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy. Sci Rep 2021; 11:4984. [PMID: 33654229 PMCID: PMC7925521 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84552-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
We demonstrate that structured illumination microscopy has the potential to enhance fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) as an early detection method for oral squamous cell carcinoma. FLIM can be used to monitor or detect changes in the fluorescence lifetime of metabolic cofactors (e.g. NADH and FAD) associated with the onset of carcinogenesis. However, out of focus fluorescence often interferes with this lifetime measurement. Structured illumination fluorescence lifetime imaging (SI-FLIM) addresses this by providing depth-resolved lifetime measurements, and applied to oral mucosa, can localize the collected signal to the epithelium. In this study, the hamster model of oral carcinogenesis was used to evaluate SI-FLIM in premalignant and malignant oral mucosa. Cheek pouches were imaged in vivo and correlated to histopathological diagnoses. The potential of NADH fluorescence signal and lifetime, as measured by widefield FLIM and SI-FLIM, to differentiate dysplasia (pre-malignancy) from normal tissue was evaluated. ROC analysis was carried out with the task of discriminating between normal tissue and mild dysplasia, when changes in fluorescence characteristics are localized to the epithelium only. The results demonstrate that SI-FLIM (AUC = 0.83) is a significantly better (p-value = 0.031) marker for mild dysplasia when compared to widefield FLIM (AUC = 0.63).
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor A Hinsdale
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA
- Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Bilal H Malik
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA
- QT Imaging, Inc, 3 Hamilton Landing, Suite 160, Novato, CA, 94949, USA
| | - Shuna Cheng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA
| | - Oscar R Benavides
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA
| | | | - John M Wright
- Department of Diagnostic Science, Texas A&M College of Dentistry, Dallas, USA
| | - Paras B Patel
- Department of Diagnostic Science, Texas A&M College of Dentistry, Dallas, USA
| | - Javier A Jo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA
| | - Kristen C Maitland
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA.
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