Improved Culture Medium for Stem Cell Maintenance and Differentiation

A novel low protein culture medium with defined chemical components that allows pluripotent stem cell maintenance and differentiation is disclosed. The present technology also provides for production of high quality cardiac cells from human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells in chemically defined medium conditions. Human pluripotent stem cells, including human embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells, can be propagated indefinitely while still retaining the capacity to differentiate into all somatic cell types, and are a potentially inexhaustible supply of human cells. The capacity to sustain survival at high density is critical for maintaining consistent stem cell cultures and avoiding the development of abnormal stem cells, and for proper stem cell differentiation. Also, it is essential to have high quality stem cells for all personalized cellular therapies. NIH investigators developed a low protein medium that supports the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells comprising one or more of a volume expander, a lipid mix and a growth factor modulator. Also, the investigators have used the new medium to produce high quality cardiac cells from human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells.