Differentiation of CD34+ cord blood cells in glycosaminoglycan microcapsules

Pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells are being intensively studied for use in treatment of a number of diseases. Glycosaminoglycans have been shown to modulate the activity of many hematopoietic growth factors, thus facilitating proliferation of primitive hematopoietic cells. Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) based microcapsules provide a new culture environment for investigation of the differentiation and proliferation of CD34+ cells. This novel environment provides high-density cultures with limited cell-substrate signaling while maximizing GAG-mediated signaling effects. Simultaneously, endogenously secreted factors can be concentrated within the microcapsules. In this study, microcapsules produced by complex coacervation between Gags and chitosan were used to culture CD34+ cord blood cells under static conditions. Cells proliferating within the capsules were evaluated by flow cytometry, immunofluorescence staining and morphometry.