In Vitro Stem Cell Study Assays

Methods to quantify stem and progenitor cells are critical in biomedical research and to devise strategies for the treatment of human diseases. Currently, the in vitro colony-forming cell assay is perhaps the most used procedure to determine the proportion of undifferentiated and differentiated cells in culture.

Another routinely used method employed for the purpose of evaluating the pluripotency of hESC cultures is the embryoid body formation that involves the development of cell aggregates. Similarly, methods such as liquid culture and neurosphere formation are also employed to assess the efficiency of the hESCs in vitro. These in vitro methods have come up as valuable monitoring tools for assessing hESC culture quality, as well as in the evaluation of quantitative pluripotent cell number changes that can impact differentiation ...