The authors would like to acknowledge the staff at Biospherix for their help in learning to use the Xvivo enclosed cell culture system, especially Matt Freeman; the staff of Miles &#38; Kelley Construction Company, Inc. for their work in setting up the laboratory infrastructure, especially Russ Hughes; the staff of Children&#39;s Hospital of Orange County department of Facilities and Support Services for their work in coordinating the laboratory remodel, especially Adam Lukhard and Devin Hugie; the staff of Children&#39;s Hospital of Orange County department of Information Systems for their help in setting up the data management infrastructure and remote access, especially Viet Tran; the Children&#39;s Hospital of Orange County Executive Management Team for their longstanding support of the project, especially Dr. Maria Minon and Brent Dethlefs. This work was funded by Children&#39;s Hospital of Orange County and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine through grant TR3-05476 to PHS. All authors contributed equally to this work.

<ol>
	<li>Brick, D. J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+Autism+Spectrum+Disorders+Stem+Cell+Resource+at+Children's+Hospital+of+Orange+County:+Implications+for+Disease+Modeling+and+Drug+Discovery.">The Autism Spectrum Disorders Stem Cell Resource at Children's Hospital of Orange County: Implications for Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery.</a> Stem Cells Transl.Med. 3 (11), 1275-1286 (2014).</li><li>Nethercott, H. E., Brick, D. J., Schwartz, P. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Derivation+of+induced+pluripotent+stem+cells+by+lentiviral+transduction.">Derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells by lentiviral transduction.</a> Methods Mol.Biol. 767, 67-85 (2011).</li><li>Pistollato, F., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Hypoxia+and+HIF1alpha+repress+the+differentiative+effects+of+BMPs+in+high-grade+glioma.">Hypoxia and HIF1alpha repress the differentiative effects of BMPs in high-grade glioma.</a> Stem Cells. 27 (1), 7-17 (2009).</li><li>Pistollato, F., Chen, H. L., Schwartz, P. H., Basso, G., Panchision, D. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Oxygen+tension+controls+the+expansion+of+human+CNS+precursors+and+the+generation+of+astrocytes+and+oligodendrocytes.">Oxygen tension controls the expansion of human CNS precursors and the generation of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes.</a> Mol.Cell Neurosci. 35, 424-435 (2007).</li><li>Raval, J. S., Koch, E., Donnenberg, A. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Real-time+monitoring+of+non-viable+airborne+particles+correlates+with+airborne+colonies+and+represents+an+acceptable+surrogate+for+daily+assessment+of+cell-processing+cleanroom+performance.">Real-time monitoring of non-viable airborne particles correlates with airborne colonies and represents an acceptable surrogate for daily assessment of cell-processing cleanroom performance.</a> Cytotherapy. 14 (9), 1144-1150 (2012).</li><li>Schwartz, P. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+potential+of+stem+cell+therapies+for+neurological+diseases.">The potential of stem cell therapies for neurological diseases.</a> Expert.Rev.Neurother. 6, 153-161 (2006).</li><li>Schwartz, P. H., Brick, D. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Stem+cell+therapies+for+the+lysosomal+storage+diseases+-+the+quintessential+neurodegenerative+diseases.">Stem cell therapies for the lysosomal storage diseases - the quintessential neurodegenerative diseases.</a> Curr.Stem Cell Res.Ther. 3 (2), 88-98 (2008).</li><li>Schwartz, P. H., Brick, D. J., Nethercott, H. E., Stover, A. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Traditional+human+embryonic+stem+cell+culture.">Traditional human embryonic stem cell culture.</a> Methods Mol.Biol. 767, 107-123 (2011).</li><li>Stover, A. E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Process-based+expansion+and+neural+differentiation+of+human+pluripotent+stem+cells+for+transplantation+and+disease+modeling.">Process-based expansion and neural differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells for transplantation and disease modeling.</a> J Neurosci.Res. 91 (10), 1247-1262 (2013).</li><li>Stover, A. E., Schwartz, P. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Adaptation+of+human+pluripotent+stem+cells+to+feeder-free+conditions+in+chemically+defined+medium+with+enzymatic+single-cell+passaging.">Adaptation of human pluripotent stem cells to feeder-free conditions in chemically defined medium with enzymatic single-cell passaging.</a> Methods Mol.Biol. 767, 137-146 (2011).</li><li>Yoshida, Y., Takahashi, K., Okita, K., Ichisaka, T., Yamanaka, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Hypoxia+enhances+the+generation+of+induced+pluripotent+stem+cells.">Hypoxia enhances the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells.</a> Cell Stem Cell. 5 (3), 237-241 (2009).</li></ol>

The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.

Cells grown within the CPF see no changes in oxygen or carbon dioxide concentrations as they move from incubator to processing chamber to microscope chamber and back. It is critical that conditions in each chamber are matched to the particular incubator in which the cells are kept before the cells are removed from the incubator. The atmosphere within the apparatus is continuously HEPA-filtered and is customizable with regard to oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations. Cells can be grown at standard concentrations for PSCs or NSCs, 5% and 9%, respectively; or alternative concentrations can be chosen for different cell types or for specific experiments. Thus, the apparatus is supplied with constant sources of medical grade oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen (Figure 4). All three of these gases are supplied by gas-specific manifold systems that ensure constant supplies. The apparatus is also supplied with a calibration gas mixture consisting of 10% (&#177; 0.01%) carbon dioxide in oxygen. The manifold systems are housed outside the cell production facility and the gases are piped into the facility through the ceiling. The calibration gas is housed within the facility. The apparatus is additionally supplied with house vacuum, also through the ceiling. Using an electronic monitoring system and wireless sending units, the output pressures of all manifolds are constantly monitored. In the event that any pressure falls out of range, the cell production facility operators are automatically telephoned and notified such that appropriate action may be taken.
The power requirements of the apparatus are met by six dedicated 120 V circuits descending from the ceiling and connected to the hospital&#39;s back-up generators to ensure a constant supply. Operation of the apparatus is controlled via software on a PC-based computer powered through an uninterruptible power supply. These power and computer arrangements ensure that the system functions continuously even in the event of a public power system failure. The software controlling the apparatus has a user-friendly graphical interface (Figure 1) which allows for the control of oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations as well as temperature, humidity, and chamber pressures. The values of all these parameters are continuously recorded to provide a running record of all apparatus parameters. This data is backed up onto a remote server every night to protect their integrity. The computer and software can be accessed remotely by administrative users to assess and/or change any parameter. Additionally, the computer and software can be accessed remotely, allowing interactive assessment of apparatus parameters and troubleshooting with local users. An additional alarm sending unit is connected to the apparatus such that cell production facility operators are notified of any out-of-range condition of the apparatus. The remote access capabilities allow log in and assessment of the specifics of the out-of-range condition.
The apparatus is designed as a modular system both in a macro and a micro sense. Individual cell culture modules, such as incubators and processing chambers, can be customized in regard to their dimensions and requirements as well as in their layout with respect to each other. Additionally, most of the control functions of the individual modules are themselves modular such that individual atmospheric gas controllers, for example, may be easily replaced without significant disruption to the system.
Specialized processing chambers, such as one for microscopic visualization and manipulation of cell cultures, are easily adapted to the system. Both phase-contrast and fluorescence microscope are inside the system (Figure 6) so that cells can be live stained, and colonies can be dissected in the same atmospheric conditions as inside the incubators. Routing of cables through sealed grommets in the side walls of the processing chamber allows equipment such as power supplies and computers to be kept outside of the apparatus, usually on a cart (Figure 6).
The processing chambers in the cell production facility have a different airflow pattern than conventional BSCs. In conventional BSCs, airflow flows down from a central exhaust vent and splits into two separate streams, which are then taken up by two different intake vents in the forward and aft portion of the cabinet&#39;s floor. By contrast, the CPF has a single vent in the forward portion of the ceiling. Air flows downwards and towards the back of the chamber, where it is then drawn upwards into an intake vent. Although the CPF is inherently very clean, this unique airflow pattern means that technicians have to slightly adjust their technique to reduce the risk of contamination. As with a conventional BSC, a lab worker should avoid placing their hands upstream of open cell culture plates and media bottles. However, the direction which is upstream has been altered in the CPF
The cell production facility laboratory itself is fairly standard and comes equipped with a -20 &#176;C freezer, a -80 &#176;C freezer, a 4 &#176;C refrigerator, a centrifuge, and a water bath. The laboratory also has a sink with foot controls for convenient hands-free operation. In order for this laboratory to become a functional clinical cell production facility, however, several additional modifications must still be made. Firstly, the apparatus itself must be upgraded to have the capacity to monitor volatile organic compounds, particulates, and concentrations of chlorine dioxide which is used for decontamination. Secondly, a processing chamber containing a FACS machine may be housed and connected to the rest of the apparatus via a buffer module. This will allow for cell sorting and purification of transplantable cell populations under the appropriate environmental conditions. Lastly, the entire apparatus must be housed within a soft wall clean room. This provides an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) class 8 environment for the apparatus5.
The high sterility and computer-controlled nature of the CPF makes it an ideal system for future applications with cell-based therapy and good manufacturing processes. The risk of contamination is greatly mitigated, but more importantly, the conditions of cell expansion are automatically recorded and archived by the computer system. Deviations in gas concentrations, temperature, humidity, and all events of access into the system are rigorously documented. This can greatly help when investigating product quality problems. However, there are still limitations. The usage of any and all reagents and supplies (e.g., media components, pipettes, plates) must be documented separately. Additionally, there are a multitude of potential problems (including many forms of human error) that can arise which are completely unrelated to the variables documented by the CPF&#39;s monitoring system. Thus, the need for highly trained personnel and detailed manual documentation of tasks remains in place.

Standard stem cell culture techniques suffer from several environmental constraints that place undue stresses on the cells and expose the cells to unacceptable risks of contamination. Among the stresses that cells may endure under standard cell culture conditions are precipitous changes in the levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen concentrations3,4. This occurs when the cells are moved from the incubator to the biosafety cabinet and/or microscope which may not be optimal for the cells. Previous studies have confirmed the advantages of culturing both pluripotent and neural stem cells in hypoxic conditions4,11, and for best results, these conditions need to be continuous. Moreover, risks of cellular contamination are higher as the laboratory environment and personnel impinge upon the cells at almost every step of their culture and manipulation. Traditional clean rooms comprise one effective method to greatly decrease contamination risks but they are expensive, have a large footprint and fail to address stressors related to carbon dioxide and oxygen concentrations. 
A cell production facility that can address both contamination risks and gas concentrations and that can be qualified to meet cGMP criteria9 provides high quality cells for basic science research as well as clinical applications1,6,7. Such a cell production facility consists, at a minimum, of the following components: a process chamber, which acts as a heated workspace for the feeding and manipulation of cell cultures; a laminar flow hood, for the initial sterilization of reagents, tubes, and tools; two buffering airlock chambers in between the hood and the process chamber; two cell culture incubators accessible from the process chamber; a microscope chamber adjacent to the process chamber; and finally, computer software to set and monitor the conditions within these modules. Using this basic infrastructure, a wide variety of tasks can be performed, such as standard feeding and passaging of pluripotent stem cells and multipotent neural stem cells, as well as more specialized methods like Sendai virus-based reprogramming, in vitro migration studies, and differentiation of neural stem cells for electrophysiological characterization.

<table><tbody><tr><td>&lt;strong&gt;Equipment&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>&lt;i&gt;Xvivo System&lt;/i&gt;</td><td>Biospherix</td><td>custom made</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>&lt;i&gt;Xvivo&lt;/i&gt; Software</td><td>Biospherix</td><td>version i.o.2.1.2.1</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>O&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; Manifold</td><td>Amico</td><td>P-M2H-C3-S-U-OXY</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; Manifold</td><td>Amico</td><td>M2H-C3-D-U-CO2</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; Manifold</td><td>Western Innovator</td><td>CTM75-7-2-2-BM</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Microscope with DP21 camera and fluorescence</td><td>Olympus Corporation</td><td>CKX41</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>&lt;strong&gt;Name&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td>&lt;strong&gt;Company&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td>&lt;strong&gt;Catalog Number&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td>&lt;strong&gt;Comments&lt;/strong&gt;</td></tr><tr><td>&lt;strong&gt;Reagents&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>DMEM/F12 Glutamax</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>10565-018</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>StemPro hESC Supplement</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>A100006-01</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Accutase</td><td>Millipore</td><td>SCR005</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Phosphate-Buffered Sodium</td><td>Hyclone</td><td>9236</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Fibroblast Growth Factor 2</td><td>R&amp;amp;D Systems</td><td>AFL233</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Dimethyl sulfoxide</td><td>Protide</td><td>PP1130</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Hank&#039;s-based Cell dissociation Buffer</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>13150-016</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2-Mercaptoethanol</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>21985-023</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Epidermal Growth Factor</td><td>R&amp;amp;D Systems</td><td>AFL236</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Oct-3/4 Antibody</td><td>Millipore</td><td>AB3209</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>TRA-1-60 Antibody</td><td>Millipore</td><td>MAB4260</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>SSEA4 Antibody</td><td>Millipore</td><td>MAB4304</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>BIT-9500 Serum Supplement</td><td>Stemcell Technologies</td><td>9500</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>&lt;strong&gt;Name&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td>&lt;strong&gt;Company&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td>&lt;strong&gt;Catalog Number&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td>&lt;strong&gt;Comments&lt;/strong&gt;</td></tr><tr><td>&lt;strong&gt;Consumable Supplies&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2 ml Serological pipet</td><td>VWR</td><td>89130-894</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>5 ml Serological pipet</td><td>Olympus Plastics</td><td>12-102</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>10 ml Serological pipet</td><td>Olympus Plastics</td><td>12-104</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>25 ml Serological pipet</td><td>Olympus Plastics</td><td>12-106</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>50 ml Serological pipet</td><td>Olympus Plastics</td><td>12-107</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>6-well plate</td><td>Corning</td><td>353046</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>12-well plate</td><td>Corning</td><td>353043</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>T25 flask</td><td>TPP</td><td>90026</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>T-75 flask</td><td>TPP</td><td>90076</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>20 &amp;micro;l pipet tips</td><td>Eppendorf</td><td>22491130</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>200 &amp;micro;l pipet tips</td><td>Eppendorf</td><td>22491148</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1,000 pipet tips</td><td>Eppendorf</td><td>22491156</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Cryovials</td><td>Thermo Scientific</td><td>5000.102</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>70% ethanol</td><td>BDH</td><td>BDH1164-4LP</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sanimaster 4</td><td>Ecolab</td><td>65332960</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Bleach</td><td>Clorox</td><td>A714239</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

culturing human pluripotent and neural stem cells in an enclosed cell culture system for basic and preclinical research

This paper describes how to use a custom manufactured, commercially available enclosed cell culture system for basic and preclinical research. Biosafety cabinets (BSCs) and incubators have long been the standard for culturing and expanding cell lines for basic and preclinical research. However, as the focus of many stem cell laboratories shifts from basic research to clinical translation, additional requirements are needed of the cell culturing system. All processes must be well documented and have exceptional requirements for sterility and reproducibility. In traditional incubators, gas concentrations and temperatures widely fluctuate anytime the cells are removed for feeding, passaging, or other manipulations. Such interruptions contribute to an environment that is not the standard for cGMP and GLP guidelines. These interruptions must be minimized especially when cells are utilized for therapeutic purposes. The motivation to move from the standard BSC and incubator system to a closed system is that such interruptions can be made negligible. Closed systems provide a work space to feed and manipulate cell cultures and maintain them in a controlled environment where temperature and gas concentrations are consistent. This way, pluripotent and multipotent stem cells can be maintained at optimum health from the moment of their derivation all the way to their eventual use in therapy.

This manuscript describes in some detail a cell production facility, and the unique aspects of culturing cells inside a closed system. The bulk of the cell production facility comprises a custom-made, enclosed, cell culture apparatus which has a small footprint and can be easily housed within a 6 x 7.5 m2 room (Figure 2). At no time are the cells within the apparatus exposed to laboratory personnel or environment. The apparatus consists of several modules: a process chamber, a laminar flow hood, 2 buffering airlock chambers in between the hood and the process chamber, two cell culture incubators, and a microscope chamber adjacent to the process chamber (Figure 3). The system is controlled by software allowing environmental variables to be controlled and monitored (Figure 1). The computer running this software is on an uninterruptible power supply. Gases are fed into the system by a set of manifolds for oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide (Figure 4). Gases for the device are supplied by manifold systems that have two sets of tanks each - an active set and a reserve set. When the active set is drawn down, the manifold automatically switches to the reserve set and staff order replacement tanks. The power is on a backup generator system.
Pluripotent and neural stem cells can be grown in hypoxic conditions in this facility using previously developed protocols9, with the added complications inherent to the novel equipment. Pluripotent stem cells can be derived using Sendai virus, using pluripotency-specific antibodies to identify fully transfected colonies, which are then isolated and expanded. (Figure 5A and B), From these iPSCs, neural stem cells and neurons can be derived using dual SMAD inhibition, and their phenotype verified using NSC-specific antibodies (Figure 5C and D).
<img alt="Figure 1" src="/files/ftp_upload/53685/53685fig1.jpg" /> 
Figure 1.&#160;Graphical Interface for the Cell Production Facility. (A) The graphical representation of the CPF is the default screen and matches the CAD drawing shown in Figure 3. A click of the mouse over the Buffer Module 1 (2F in Figure 1) opens its control screen (B) where O2 values are set to match the processing chamber (3 in Figure 3). Similarly, clicking on the Process Chamber or Incubator 1 brings up their respective control screens (C and D, respectively), where values may be changed or monitored as appropriate. <a href="https://www.jove.com/files/ftp_upload/53685/53685fig1large.jpg" target="_blank">Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.</a>
<img alt="Figure 2" src="/files/ftp_upload/53685/53685fig2.jpg" /> 
Figure 2.&#160;The Cell Production Facility. (A) The system as seen from a front right view. Note the power and gas connections in the ceiling and the cart with the microscope accessories and computer to the right. (B) The laminar flow hood with the access doors to the buffer modules seen at the right. (C) The process chamber with the two incubators (black doors) seen at the rear. (D) A view through the right side of the system showing the microscope and monitor with the doors to the buffer chambers seen in the distance. <a href="https://www.jove.com/files/ftp_upload/53685/53685fig2large.jpg" target="_blank">Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.</a>
<img alt="Figure 3" src="/files/ftp_upload/53685/53685fig3.jpg" /> 
Figure 3.&#160;A CAD Drawing of the Cell Production Facility. All items entering the device are first wiped down with alcohol and air dried in the laminar flow hood (1). Items are then transitioned to the appropriate atmosphere in the front buffer module (2F) before being passed into the UCPC module, or Process Chamber (3). Cells are cultured in the two incubators (4, 5). Live cell staining, colony picking, assessment of general cellular morphology and migration analysis takes place in the UPC module, or Microscope Chamber (6). Finally, waste exits the system through the rear buffer module (2R). <a href="https://www.jove.com/files/ftp_upload/53685/53685fig3large.jpg" target="_blank">Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.</a>
<img alt="Figure 4" src="/files/ftp_upload/53685/53685fig4.jpg" /> 
Figure 4.&#160;Sources of Gases and Power. (A) The CO2 manifold is a 4 x 4 setup as it supplies all the incubators of the laboratory. (B) The O2 manifold is a 2 x 2 setup and supplies only the cell production facility. Nitrogen for the system is generated in a vaporizer (C, just below the Exit sign) attached to a liquid nitrogen manifold (to the right) that also automatically fills cryofreezers (bottom left). The manifold is a 2 x 2 setup being supplied by two pairs of 160 L liquid nitrogen tanks. CO2, O2, and N2 are supplied from the ceiling through shutoffs (D). House vacuum is also supplied at this location. Seen just behind the supply gas shutoffs are a pair of power cables that supply power to the system. <a href="https://www.jove.com/files/ftp_upload/53685/53685fig4large.jpg" target="_blank">Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.</a>
<img alt="Figure 5" src="/files/ftp_upload/53685/53685fig5.jpg" /> 
Figure 5.&#160;Pluripotent Stem Cells Derived in Hypoxia with Sendai virus. (A) SC187-SF4-2I0-E3 iPSCs iPSCs (nomenclature found in Stover et al.9), phase contrast 10X. (B) SC88.1-UH1-2I0 iPSCs live-stained with AF-594-labeled Tra-1-60, 1:100 dilution in media. All iPSCs were transduced in the cell production facility in 5% O2 with Sendai virus. (C) Phase contrast of SC68.1-UH0-2I0-M0S13-N2G6 iPSC-derived NSCs, grown at 5% O2 in chamber slides. Cells were then fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and stained with anti-human Nestin primary antibody, and Alex-488 secondary antibody. All scale bars are at 100 &#181;m. <a href="https://www.jove.com/files/ftp_upload/53685/53685fig5large.jpg" target="_blank">Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.</a>

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Culturing Human Pluripotent and Neural Stem Cells in an Enclosed Cell Culture System for Basic and Preclinical Research at JoVE.com

Culturing Human Pluripotent and Neural Stem Cells in an Enclosed Cell Culture System for Basic and Preclinical Research

Here is a protocol to grow pluripotent stem cells (PSC) and neural stem cells (NSC) in an enclosed cell culture system that permits maximum sterility and reproducibility, replacing the traditional biosafety cabinet and incubator. This equipment meets clinical good manufacturing practice (cGMP) and clinical good lab practice (cGLP) guidelines.

This paper describes how to use a custom manufactured, commercially available enclosed cell culture system for basic and preclinical research. Biosafety ...

culturing-human-pluripotent-neural-stem-cells-an-enclosed-cell

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Developmental Biology

10.2K Views.  Childrens Hospital of Orange County Research Institute. Here is a protocol to grow pluripotent stem cells (PSC) and neural stem cells (NSC) in an enclosed cell culture system that permits maximum sterility and reproducibility, replacing the traditional biosafety cabinet and incubator. This equipment meets clinical good manufacturing practice (cGMP) and clinical good lab practice (cGLP) guidelines.

Video: Culturing Human Pluripotent and Neural Stem Cells in an Enclosed Cell Culture System for Basic and Preclinical Research

A Novel Culture Model for Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Propagation on Gelatin in Placenta-conditioned Media

The propagation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in conditioned medium derived from human cells in feeder-free culture conditions has been of interest. Nevertheless, an ideal humanized ex vivo feeder-free propagation method for hPSCs has not been developed; currently, additional exogenous substrates including basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a master hPSC-sustaining factor, is added to all of culture media and synthetic substrata such as Matrigel or laminin are used in all feeder-free cultures. Recently, our group developed a simple and efficient protocol for the propagation of hPSCs using only conditioned media derived from the human placenta on a gelatin-coated dish without additional exogenous supplementation or synthetic substrata specific to hPSCs. This protocol has not been reported previously and might enable researchers to propagate hPSCs efficiently in humanized culture conditions. Additionally, this model obviates hPSC contamination risks by animal products such as viruses or unknown proteins. Furthermore, this system facilitates easy mass production of hPSCs using the gelatin coating, which is simple to handle, dramatically decreases the overall costs of ex vivo hPSC maintenance.

This protocol provides a simple and efficient way to propagate human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) using only conditioned media derived from the human placenta in a gelatin-coated dish without additional exogenous supplementation or hPSC-specific synthetic substrata.

The propagation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in conditioned medium derived from human cells in feeder-free culture conditions has been of ...

Passaging Human Neural Stem Cells

The ability to manipulate human neural stem/precursor cells (hNSPCs) in vitro provides a means to investigate their utility as cell transplants for therapeutic purposes as well as to explore many fundamental processes of human neural development and pathology.  This protocol presents a simple method of culturing and passaging hNSPCs in hopes of standardizing this technique and increasing reproducibility of human stem cell research.  The hNSPCs we use were isolated from cadaveric postnatal brain cortices by the National Human Neural Stem Cell Resource and grown as adherent cultures on flasks coated with fibronectin (Palmer et al., 2001; Schwartz et al., 2003).  We culture our hNSPCs in a DMEM:F12 serum-free media supplemented with EGF, FGF, and PDGF and passage them 1:2 approximately every seven days.  Using these conditions, the majority of the cells in the culture maintain a bipolar morphology and express markers of undifferentiated neural stem cells (such as nestin and sox2).

The ability to manipulate human neural stem/precursor cells (hNSPCs) in vitro allows to investigate their utility as cell transplants for therapeutic purposes and to explore human neural development. This protocol presents a method of culturing and passaging hNSPCs in hopes of increasing reproducibility of human stem cell research.

The ability to manipulate human neural stem/precursor cells (hNSPCs) in vitro provides a means to investigate their utility as cell transplants for ...

Biology

Generation of Neural Stem Cells from Discarded Human Fetal Cortical Tissue

Neural stem cells (NSCs) reside along the ventricular zone neuroepithelium during the development of the cortical plate. These early progenitors ultimately give rise to intermediate progenitors and later, the various neuronal and glial cell subtypes that form the cerebral cortex. The capacity to generate and expand human NSCs (so called neurospheres) from discarded normal fetal tissue provides a means with which to directly study the functional aspects of normal human NSC development 1-5. This approach can also be directed toward the generation of NSCs from known neurological disorders, thereby affording the opportunity to identify disease processes that alter progenitor proliferation, migration and differentiation 6-9. We have focused on identifying pathological mechanisms in human Down syndrome NSCs that might contribute to the accelerated Alzheimer's disease phenotype 10,11. Neither in vivo nor in vitro mouse models can replicate the identical repertoire of genes located on human chromosome 21. 
Here we use a simple and reliable method to isolate Down syndrome NSCs from aborted human fetal cortices and grow them in culture. The methodology provides specific aspects of harvesting the tissue, dissection with limited anatomical landmarks, cell sorting, plating and passaging of human NSCs. We also provide some basic protocols for inducing differentiation of human NSCs into more selective cell subtypes.

A simple and reliable method on isolation and culture of neural stem cells from discarded human fetal cortical tissue is described. Cultures derived from known human neurological disorders can be used for characterization of pathological cellular and molecular processes, as well as provide a platform to assess pharmacological efficacy.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) reside along the ventricular zone neuroepithelium during the development of the cortical plate. These early progenitors ...

Neuroscience

Efficient Derivation of Human Neuronal Progenitors and Neurons from Pluripotent Human Embryonic Stem Cells with Small Molecule Induction

There is a large unfulfilled need for a clinically-suitable human neuronal cell source for repair or regeneration of the damaged central nervous system (CNS) structure and circuitry in today's healthcare industry. Cell-based therapies hold great promise to restore the lost nerve tissue and function for CNS disorders. However, cell therapies based on CNS-derived neural stem cells have encountered supply restriction and difficulty to use in the clinical setting due to their limited expansion ability in culture and failing plasticity after extensive passaging1-3. Despite some beneficial outcomes, the CNS-derived human neural stem cells (hNSCs) appear to exert their therapeutic effects primarily by their non-neuronal progenies through producing trophic and neuroprotective molecules to rescue the endogenous cells1-3. Alternatively, pluripotent human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) proffer cures for a wide range of neurological disorders by supplying the diversity of human neuronal cell types in the developing CNS for regeneration1,4-7. However, how to channel the wide differentiation potential of pluripotent hESCs efficiently and predictably to a desired phenotype has been a major challenge for both developmental study and clinical translation. Conventional approaches rely on multi-lineage inclination of pluripotent cells through spontaneous germ layer differentiation, resulting in inefficient and uncontrollable lineage-commitment that is often followed by phenotypic heterogeneity and instability, hence, a high risk of tumorigenicity7-10. In addition, undefined foreign/animal biological supplements and/or feeders that have typically been used for the isolation, expansion, and differentiation of hESCs may make direct use of such cell-specialized grafts in patients problematic11-13. To overcome these obstacles, we have resolved the elements of a defined culture system necessary and sufficient for sustaining the epiblast pluripotence of hESCs, serving as a platform for de novo derivation of clinically-suitable hESCs and effectively directing such hESCs uniformly towards clinically-relevant lineages by small molecules14 (please see a schematic in Fig. 1). Retinoic acid (RA) does not induce neuronal differentiation of undifferentiated hESCs maintained on feeders1, 14. And unlike mouse ESCs, treating hESC-differentiated embryoid bodies (EBs) only slightly increases the low yield of neurons1, 14, 15. However, after screening a variety of small molecules and growth factors, we found that such defined conditions rendered retinoic acid (RA) sufficient to induce the specification of neuroectoderm direct from pluripotent hESCs that further progressed to neuroblasts that generated human neuronal progenitors and neurons in the developing CNS with high efficiency (Fig. 2). We defined conditions for induction of neuroblasts direct from pluripotent hESCs without an intervening multi-lineage embryoid body stage, enabling well-controlled efficient derivation of a large supply of human neuronal cells across the spectrum of developmental stages for cell-based therapeutics.

We have established a protocol for induction of neuroblasts direct from pluripotent human embryonic stem cells maintained under defined conditions with small molecules, which enables derivation of a large supply of human neuronal progenitors and neuronal cell types in the developing CNS for neural repair.

There is a large unfulfilled need for a clinically-suitable human neuronal cell source for repair or regeneration of the damaged central nervous system ...

Efficient Neural Differentiation using Single-Cell Culture of Human Embryonic Stem Cells

In vitro differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) has transformed the ability to study human development on both biological and molecular levels and provided cells for use in regenerative applications. Standard approaches for hESC culture using colony type culture to maintain undifferentiated hESCs and embryoid body (EB) and rosette formation for differentiation into different germ layers are inefficient and time-consuming. Presented here is a single-cell culture method using hESCs instead of a colony-type culture. This method allows maintenance of the characteristic features of undifferentiated hESCs, including expression of hESC markers at levels comparable to colony type hESCs. In addition, the protocol presents an efficient method for neural progenitor cell (NPC) generation from single-cell type hESCs that produces NPCs within 1 week. These cells highly express several NPC marker genes and can differentiate into various neural cell types, including dopaminergic neurons and astrocytes. This single-cell culture system for hESCs will be useful in investigating the molecular mechanisms of these processes, studies of certain diseases, and drug discovery screens.

Presented here is a protocol for the generation of a single-cell culture of human embryonic stem cells and their subsequent differentiation into neural progenitor cells. The protocol is simple, robust, scalable, and suitable for drug screening and regenerative medicine applications.

In vitro differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) has transformed the ability to study human development on both biological and molecular ...

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Differentiation Using an Automated Culture System

An Automated Culture System for Maintaining and Differentiating Human-Induced 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.

Author Spotlight: Automating iPSC Culture for Enhanced Reproducibility 

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.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) with infinite self-proliferating ability have been expected to have applications in numerous fields, ...

Alternative Cultures for Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Production, Maintenance, and Genetic Analysis

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) hold great promise for regenerative medicine and biopharmaceutical applications. Currently, optimal culture and efficient expansion of large amounts of clinical-grade hPSCs are critical issues in hPSC-based therapies. Conventionally, hPSCs are propagated as colonies on both feeder and feeder-free culture systems. However, these methods have several major limitations, including low cell yields and generation of heterogeneously differentiated cells. To improve current hPSC culture methods, we have recently developed a new method, which is based on non-colony type monolayer (NCM) culture of dissociated single cells. Here, we present detailed NCM protocols based on the Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) inhibitor Y-27632. We also provide new information regarding NCM culture with different small molecules such as Y-39983 (ROCK I inhibitor), phenylbenzodioxane (ROCK II inhibitor), and thiazovivin (a novel ROCK inhibitor). We further extend our basic protocol to cultivate hPSCs on defined extracellular proteins such as the laminin isoform 521 (LN-521) without the use of ROCK inhibitors. Moreover, based on NCM, we have demonstrated efficient transfection or transduction of plasmid DNAs, lentiviral particles, and oligonucleotide-based microRNAs into hPSCs in order to genetically modify these cells for molecular analyses and drug discovery. The NCM-based methods overcome the major shortcomings of colony-type culture, and thus may be suitable for producing large amounts of homogeneous hPSCs for future clinical therapies, stem cell research, and drug discovery.

Here, we present human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) culture protocols, based on non-colony type monolayer (NCM) growth of dissociated single cells. This new method, utilizing Rho-associated kinase inhibitors or the laminin isoform 521 (LN-521), is suitable for producing large amounts of homogeneous hPSCs, genetic manipulation, and drug discovery.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) hold great promise for regenerative medicine and biopharmaceutical applications. Currently, optimal culture and ...

Embryonic Mouse Brain Mixed Cell Cultures to Study Infection and Innate Immunity

Establishing Mixed Neuronal and Glial Cell Cultures from Embryonic Mouse Brains to Study Infection and Innate Immunity

Models of the central nervous system (CNS) must recapitulate the complex network of interconnected cells found in vivo. The CNS consists primarily of neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia. Due to increasing efforts to replace and reduce animal use, a variety of in vitro cell culture systems have been developed to explore innate cell properties, which allow the development of therapeutics for CNS infections and pathologies. Whilst certain research questions can be addressed by human-based cell culture systems, such as (induced) pluripotent stem cells, working with human cells has its own limitations with regard to availability, costs, and ethics. Here, we describe a unique protocol for isolating and culturing cells from embryonic mouse brains. The resulting mixed neural cell cultures mimic several cell populations and interactions found in the brain in vivo. Compared to current equivalent methods, this protocol more closely mimics the characteristics of the brain and also garners more cells, thus allowing for more experimental conditions to be investigated from one pregnant mouse. Further, the protocol is relatively easy and highly reproducible. These cultures have been optimized for use at various scales, including 96-well based high throughput screens, 24-well microscopy analysis, and 6-well cultures for flow cytometry and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis. This culture method is a powerful tool to investigate infection and immunity within the context of some of the complexity of the CNS with the convenience of in vitro methods.

Author Spotlight: Establishing Mixed Neuronal and Glial Cell Cultures from Embryonic Mouse Brains to Study Infection and Innate Immunity  

This protocol presents a unique way of generating central nervous system cell cultures from embryonic day 17 mouse brains for neuro(immuno)logy research. This model can be analyzed using various experimental techniques, including RT-qPCR, microscopy, ELISA, and flow cytometry.

Models of the central nervous system (CNS) must recapitulate the complex network of interconnected cells found in vivo. The CNS consists primarily of ...

Automated Production of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cortical and Dopaminergic Neurons with Integrated Live-Cell Monitoring

Manual culture and differentiation protocols for human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) are difficult to standardize, show high variability and are prone to spontaneous differentiation into unwanted cell types. The methods are labor-intensive and are not easily amenable to large-scale experiments. To overcome these limitations, we developed an automated cell culture system coupled to a high-throughput imaging system and implemented protocols for maintaining multiple hiPSC lines in parallel and neuronal differentiation. We describe the automation of a short-term differentiation protocol using Neurogenin-2 (NGN2) over-expression to produce hiPSC-derived cortical neurons within 6&#8210;8 days, and the implementation of a long-term differentiation protocol to generate hiPSC-derived midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons within 65 days. Also, we applied the NGN2 approach to a small molecule-derived neural precursor cells (smNPC)&#160;transduced with GFP lentivirus and established a live-cell automated neurite outgrowth assay. We present an automated system with protocols suitable for routine hiPSC culture and differentiation into cortical and dopaminergic neurons. Our platform is suitable for long term hands-free culture and high-content/high-throughput hiPSC-based compound, RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9 screenings to identify novel disease mechanisms and drug targets.

We show the automation of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) cultures and neuronal differentiations compatible with automated imaging and analysis.

Manual culture and differentiation protocols for human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) are difficult to standardize, show high variability and are ...

Handling Neuronal Stem Cell Cultures in a Cell Production Facility

Source: Stover, A. E., et al,. <a href="https://app.jove.com/v/53685">Culturing human pluripotent and neural stem cells in an enclosed cell culture system for basic and preclinical research.</a> J. Vis. Exp. (2016).
The video outlines the procedure for maintaining a controlled environment in a cell culture workstation for the growth and maintenance of neuronal stem cells. These procedures involve setting chamber conditions, cleaning protocols, and media preparation, Thus, maintaining maximum sterility and reproducibility and replacing the traditional methods.

1. Initial Setup

	Setting Gas and Temperature Concentrations
	
		Using the software, click the &#34;Guest&#34; tab on the upper left corner of the ...