automated cell culture system settings for maintenance and differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Differentiation Using an Automated Culture System

This article aims to provide actual and detailed handling procedures for an automated culture system for human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), which we produced by collaborating with a company, and to show representative results.
Since the publication of the article in 2007, iPSC has been attracting attention all over the world1. Due to its greatest feature of being able to differentiate into any type of somatic cell, it is expected to be applied in various fields such as regenerative medicine, elucidating the causes of intractable diseases, and developing new therapeutic drugs2,3. In addition, using human iPSC-derived somatic cells could reduce animal experiments, which are subject to significant ethical restrictions. Although numerous homogeneous iPSCs are constantly required to research new methods with iPSCs, it is too laborious to manage them. Moreover, handling iPSC is difficult because of its high sensitivity, even to subtle cultural and environmental changes.
To solve this problem, automated culture systems are expected to perform tasks instead of humans. Some groups have developed a few automated human pluripotent stem cell culture systems for cell maintenance and differentiation and published their achievements4,5,6. These systems equip multiarticulated robotic arm(s). Robotic arms have not only merit in that they highly mimic human arm movements but also demerit in that they require higher cost(s) for the arm(s), larger and heavier system packaging, and time-consuming education efforts by the engineers to obtain the aimed movements7,8. In order to make it easier to introduce the apparatus to more research facilities at the points of economic, space, and human resource consumption, we have developed a novel automated culture system for the maintenance and differentiation of iPSC into various cell types9.
Our rationale for the new system was to adopt an X-Y-Z axis rail system instead of multiarticulated robotic arms9. To replace the complex hand-like functions of robotic arms, we applied a new idea to this system, which can automatically change three types of specific functional arm tips. Here, we also indicate how users can easily make task schedules with simple orders on software because of the lack of requirements for engineers&#39; contributions throughout the process.
One of the robotic culture systems has demonstrated the making of embryoid bodies using 96-well plates as 3D cell aggregates for differentiation4. The system reported here cannot handle 96-well plates. One achieved the current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) grade using a cell line, although it was not a human pluripotent stem cell5. The automated culture system detailed here has now been developed with the specific aim of helping laboratory experiments (Figure 1). However, it has enough systems to keep clean levels equivalent to a level IV safety cabinet.

Author Spotlight: Automating iPSC Culture for Enhanced Reproducibility 

An Automated Culture System for Maintaining and Differentiating Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

This study focuses on automating the culture of iPS cells. Our goal is to reduce the variability due to manual experimentations and human labor, by utilizing smaller and more affordable equipment, which leads to enhance the reproducibility, and provide opportunities for more researchers who are even unfamiliar with iPS cells. Several types of automated culture machines have emerged, but most of them are still large, costly, and can only perform partial tasks.The simpler structure of the working urn has reduced the size and cost of the equipment. In addition, the tasks from cell maintenance to differentiation induction can be performed automatically, with only prior material preparation, and task setting on software. Machine repetition is remarkably accurate compared to human repetition.The use of such machines not only improves repeat usability, but also reduce human labor. Furthermore, if the parameters in each protocol are shared, researchers unfamiliar with iPS cells will be able to achieve similar results as well-experienced researchers, making it possible for them to easily enter into research using iPS cells. We are exploring the possibility of incorporating an AI-based image judgment system to automate the selection of the next work schedule, setting date, and work content from the learning of the experiment results.We also anticipate that allowing researchers to tailor their working protocols to their preferences, and share them online, will not only enhance reproducibility among the world researchers, but also encourage global research collaboration.

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Automated Cell Culture System Settings for Maintenance and Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells  

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162 Views.  Kansai Medical University Graduate School of Medicine. Automated Cell Culture System Settings for Maintenance and Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Video: Automated Cell Culture System Settings for Maintenance and Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells  

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) with infinite self-proliferating ability have been expected to have applications in numerous fields, including the elucidation of rare disease pathologies, the development of new medicines, and regenerative medicine aiming to restore damaged organs. Despite this, the social implementation of hiPSCs is still limited. This is partly because of the difficulty of reproducing differentiation in culture, even with advanced knowledge and sophisticated technical skills, due to the high sensitivity of iPSCs to minute environmental changes. The application of an automated culture system can solve this issue. Experiments with high reproducibility independent of a researcher's skill can be expected according to a shared procedure across various institutes. Although several automated culture systems that can maintain iPSC cultures and induce differentiation have been developed previously, these systems are heavy, large, and costly because they make use of humanized, multi-articulated robotic arms. To improve on the above issues, we developed a new system using a simple x-y-z axis slide rail system, allowing it to be more compact, lighter, and cheaper. Furthermore, the user can easily modify parameters in the new system to develop new handling tasks. Once a task is established, all the user needs to do is prepare the iPSC, supply the reagents and consumables needed for the desired task in advance, select the task number, and specify the time. We confirmed that the system could maintain iPSCs in an undifferentiated state through several passages without feeder cells and differentiate into various cell types, including cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes, neural progenitors, and keratinocytes. The system will enable highly reproducible experiments across institutions without the need for skilled researchers and will facilitate the social implementation of hiPSCs in a wider range of research fields by diminishing the obstacles for new entries.

Here, we present a protocol for an automated cell culture system. This automated culture system reduces labor and benefits the users, including researchers unfamiliar with handling induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, from the maintenance of iPS cells to differentiation into various types of cells.