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.