A research group in Taiwan, has recently published a research article on the “Effect of Microgravity on the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) characteristics of limbal fibroblasts.”

The research group was interested in the therapeutic potential of limbal fibroblasts, which are present in the corneal limbus. Recently, in much stem cell research, researchers and advocates are stressing the importance of utilizing cells from the niche which they will target. This means, that adipose tissue and bone marrow derived stem cells, are likely not appropriate and even dangerous to apply ubiquitously as therapies to other parts of the body in certain cases.  Several research groups and clinical trials have shown this to be the case, including cases of blindness, brain inflammation, and death as adverse events.

So, the importance of using local cells and de-differentiating them to survey for MSC properties and further differentiation potential within their cell type, is vital.

S.Pao et al. of the research group in Taipei, Taiwan, have demonstrated that limbal fibroblasts cultured in simulated microgravity (using Synthecon’s Rotary Cell Culture System -RCCS) showed a higher proportion of MSC characteristics, and could be easily driven into different lineage cells. Further, culturing in this way provided the conditions needed to create a larger population of MSC-like limbal fibroblasts which could be used for stem cell therapies to reconstruct the ocular surface.

The cells cultured in microgravity showed higher rates of expression of CD90, CD105 and SSEA4 than those cultured under normal gravity.

For more on our technology, see our RCCS general page, as well as our Whitepaper. Please peruse our Bibliography of Publications, to see a complete list of research done using our system.