Developmental Studies using 3D Cell Culture of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells

An emerging view finds that the limitations of traditional 2D monolayer cell culture have shifted the focus of scientists to a more reliable approach of 3D cell culturing. Tissues and organs in our bodies exist in three dimensional structures and it is fundamental to study the cells in 3D to mimic the in vivo physiological conditions like cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions, regulating the proliferation and differentiation. 3D cell cultures are developed with our primary objectives of carrying out single-organ based developmental studies and also drug screening and toxicity tests.

Umbilical cord is an easily accessible and non-controversial source of the primitive stem cells that can be readily manipulated. Being multipotent in nature, they have a tremendous differentiating potential in conditioned cultures into various cell types such as the skin, bone, endothelium, hepatocytes and neuronal lineages. High prevalence and incidence of neuronal and hepatic diseases and the ever growing demand to meet the medical needs in the effective treatment of such diseases prompts us to develop neuronal and hepatic cell lines and spheres under optimized culture conditions and employ them for both toxicity testing and developmental studies, adding to the sum of disease understanding and enhancing human health.