CONCLUSION
In this study, attachment and expansion of immature and maturing insulin-secreting pancreatic cells on various modifications of the porous cellulose scaffold was examined in a high-throughput, multi-well platform and scaled-up in a wicking matrix bioreactor. Our findings demonstrate the ability of pancreatic progenitors to attach and expand on modified cellulose and further indicate that the amine-modified cellulose scaffold, in particular, can support 10-fold expansion of hiPSC-derived insulin-secreting pancreatic cells in a scaled-up bioreactor while maintaining steady metabolic activity over 13 days. We expect this platform to be useful in future biomanufacturing of pancreatic cells for advancing cell therapies for diabetes patients.