Feeder-Free Substrates for Pluripotent Stem Cell Culture

A significant barrier to the therapeutic application of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) is the risk associated with the presence of undefined, animal-derived elements that are routinely used to culture these cells. Originally, PSCs were derived on mouse feeder cells in media containing fetal calf serum. Such conditions could expose potential patients to animal pathogens or lead to immune rejection. Substantial efforts have been made to remove these components and successfully maintain these cells in a completely defined, xeno-free environment. In this chapter, we examine substrates consisting of animal-derived proteins, purified human proteins, recombinant human proteins, and synthetic polymers and their ability to maintain the undifferentiated growth of various pluripotent stem cell lines in a variety of supplemented media.