Novel cell culture supplement from adipocyte-origin megakaryocytes and platelets - growth supplements in cell culture are essential for providing the necessary nutrients, growth factors, and…

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded $422,285 to Cell Reprogramming & Therapeutics LLC on September 1, 2026, under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) to develop a human mature megakaryocyte and platelet lysate (HMPL) cell growth supplement. The recipient will derive HMPL from dedifferentiated fat cells induced into megakaryocytes and platelets, then lysed through freeze-thaw methods. Preliminary data demonstrated that this lysate promotes mesenchymal stem cell proliferation, positioning HMPL as an alternative to fetal bovine serum and human platelet lysate for in vitro cell culture. The project addresses scalability and cost barriers in platelet-derived supplement production by leveraging adult stem cell-derived platelets to generate a pathogen-free, consistent product with controlled composition. Performance occurs in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, with a period of performance from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027.

Novel cell culture supplement from adipocyte-origin megakaryocytes and platelets - growth supplements in cell culture are essential for providing the necessary nutrients, growth factors, and hormones that support cell proliferation and growth. These supplements help maintain cell viability and ensure proper cellular functions during in vitro cultivation. Fetal bovine serum (FBS) has been the traditional standard due to its rich nutrient composition, but its use poses challenges such as ethical concerns, zoonotic disease risks, and batch-to-batch variability. Defined media offer an alternative with a controlled composition, but they are often more expensive and can lack the synergistic factors that serum provides. Human platelet lysate (HPL) has emerged as a promising alternative, particularly for human cell cultures, but issues related to its production, including disease transmission risks and scalability, remain significant. Recent studies have demonstrated the successful production of human platelets from adult stem cells, embryonic stem cells (escs), induced pluripotent stem cells (ipscs), and immortalized cell lines. This progress suggests that HPL could be derived from these platelets, providing a consistent and pathogen-free product. However, achieving sufficient quantities of human platelets for cost-effective HPL production remains a major challenge. To address these issues, we recently tested the hypothesis that HPL-like supplement could be produced from dedifferentiated FAT (dfat) cells derived mature megakaryocytes (MKS) and platelets. To this end, dfat cell were expended, induced into MKS cells and platelet-like particles and lysed through freeze/though method. Preliminary data showed that the lysate of these cells mixture, which we will henceforth refer to as human mature MKS and platelets lysate (hmpl), promoted the proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells (mscs). The overarching goal of this proposal is to develop a cell growth supplement competitive with existing growth supplements, such as FBS and HPL, in terms of its mitogenic activity across various stem cell type, ease of production, safety, standardization, cost-effectiveness, scalability, and reproducibility. To achieve this goal, the following studies are planned for phase i and, if successful, for phase II. The objectives of phase i studies are to demonstrate that hmpl, produced by our recently developed method, at concentrations of 1%, - 15%, exhibits a similar cell proliferation-promoting ability for mscs as 10% FBS or 5% donor blood-pooled HPL (specific aim 1) and that mscs expanded with hmpl retain their ability to differentiate into various cell lineages (specific aim 2). If successful, phase II studies will focus on the large-scale production of hmpl and testing its mitogenic activity on various stem cells. IT will also refine production processes, ensure quality control, develop usage documentation, and achieve necessary regulatory certifications. A commercially compatible product emerging from phase i/II studies is a cell growth supplement suitable for both research and clinical applications. This product has the potential to capture a significant share of the global market for FBS, HPL, and defined media, which is currently valued at approximately $5.75 billion and is projected to reach $12.8 billion by 2030, driven by increasing demand in biotechnological and regenerative medicine applications.