There is no consensus among scientists regarding a method for the isolation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from any tissue.

PurStem is a collaborative effort of leading academic laboratories and small businesses with the goal of advancing the industrialization of stem cell technology

PurStem Objectives

• Examine existing methods and approaches to the preparation of MSCs
• Identify current best practice
• Standardize the technology between laboratories by means of a unified operating protocol
• Develop new methods of culture and new media formulations by identifying the repertoire of growth factor receptors that exists on the surface of the cell
• Create new media using a combinatorial approach to the selection of growth factor supplements to modulate and optimize the growth kinetics and differentiation of the cells
• Utilize recombinant human growth factors and so benefit from freedom of reliance on serum
• Identify new reagents from this effort that will be used to characterize the cells

Societal Impact of PurStem

• Improvements in treatment options in cardiovascular applications, inflammatory conditions such as Crohn’s disease, and orthopaedic disorders such as arthritis
• Key to this clinical improvement is the generation of a clearly characterized MSC produced in industrial quantities, the core issue which PurStem is addressing
• Culminating in improved quality of life of patients and a significant reduction in the economic burden associated with chronic disorders

Scientific Impact of PurStem

• Development of new GMP-compliant reagents and media formulations for MSC isolation, expansion, differentiation and banking
• Identification of the MSC receptome of both the in vivo and the in vitro expanded MSC
• Development of novel antibodies against MSC surface antigens to use for specific identification and ultimately the isolation of the MSC
• Development of a “rational” animal product-free media
• Creation of a novel technology for “germ-free” expression of biologically active antibodies for use in GMP manufacturing of cells

Collaborative Partners

• National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
Project co-ordinator focusing on unification of MSC culturing techniques, development and validation of best practices SOPs, identification of novel cell surface markers
 

• University of Genova, Italy
Leading the effort to evaluate the differentiation potential of selected cell populations into bone, cartilage and fat using in vitro methods and into bone in vivo
 

• University of Leeds, United Kingdom
Defining the in vivo bone marrow MSC phenotype as well as optimizing MSC harvesting, culture and characterization
 

• Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
Innovating a serum free MSC culture media for both expansion and cell differentiation
 

• Ovagen International Ltd, Ireland
Creation of germ-free reagents from chickens including the generation of novel antibodies to characterize MSCs
 

• Pro-Cure Laboratories, Ltd, Ireland
Generating and screening novel antibody libraries for the creation of tools to characterize MSCs
 

• Pintail Ltd, Ireland
Responsible for quality assurance, planning for exploitation, communication and dissemination of results
 

For more information, visit www.purstem.eu online or Email purstem@purstem.eu

PurStem is funded by the European Commission under the Framework 7 Program