9D-3 Characterization of Adipogenic, Chondrogenic and Osteogenic Differentiation with Time-Resolved Acoustic Microscopy

Adult stem cells in general have the potential to differentiate into different cell types. Bone marrow, in particular, contains a mesenchymal progenitor cell that can give rise to many other cell types, such as osteocytes, adipocytes, muscle cells, astrocytes, and neurons, as well as stromal cells that support hematopoiesis. In postnatal organisms, each tissue and organ is now generally perceived to contain a small sub-population of quiescent cells, which are, when stimulated accordingly, capable of self-renewal and of indefinite or at least prolonged proliferative potential. Regenerative medicine tries to exploit this fact by directing differentiation to specific cell types that can subsequently be transplanted to replace damaged tissue. Among the many challenges that need to be faced with regard to future exploitation, observation of the differentiation process and determination of the differentiation state of the cells without harming them are of prominent importance. We employed time-resolved acoustic microscopy in adult stem cell differentiation for monitoring the differentiation process and characterizing the degree of differentiation of individual cells.