Cellastim and Optiferrin enable development of xeno-free and blood product-free expansion media

A recent study demonstrated that Cellastim® (recombinant human albumin) and Optiferrin® (recombinant human transferrin) deliver superior xeno-free and animal-free solutions for primary cell and stem cell expansion media. The study revealed that the combination of Cellastim and Optiferrin delivered a 250-300% increase in performance over the best animal-derived combination. These research findings were presented at the Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine World Congress, January 2011 poster session.  

Improving the expansion of primary cells and stems cells is a major challenge in regenerative medicine.  The majority of serum-free stem cell expansion media contain undesirable animal-derived components such as plasma-derived human albumin (for nutritional support) or human transferrin (for efficient iron delivery).  If these components are human blood-derived they qualify as xeno-free, however they remain a concern due to transmission risk inherent in blood products.

"Blood-derived proteins can be variable from batch-to-batch leading to inconsistencies in media performance," stated Dr. Steve Pettit, Director of Cell Culture Development at InVitria. "This study showed that Cellastim and Optiferrin allowed the cells to remain undifferentiated and continued cell growth in stem cell expansion media; another demonstration that they are superior replacements for blood-derived proteins."  

The data shows that Cellastim and Optiferrin are robust components that enable the development of superior xeno-free and blood product-free expansion media.  

Source: InVitria