Growing xenotransplant material in culture
First Claim
1. A method for carrying out long-term in vitro assembly, propagation and maturation of a functional artificial tissue comprised of more than one kind of cell taken from at least one species of mammal, characterised in that a selected first type of cell capable of being stimulated to secrete a product is co-cultured over an extended period together with at least one selected second type of cell capable of providing a support/trophic function for the first type, in a growth medium supplemented with an effective amount of homologous serum from the species of mammal that provided the first type of cell, so that organised functional, synergistic groups of mixed cell types are developed over the extended period.
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Abstract
Over time, cultured mammalian cells aggregate into an artificial tissue with 10% homologous serum and nicotinamide. Neonatal porcine islets alone have a SGS index of 4.6. Co-culture with neonatal porcine Sertoli cells formed free-floating islet-like structures, 300-600 microns in diameter (SGS index 21). Basal secretion of insulin remains high for islets in a heavily confluent mixed cell culture. Re-seeded cultures were very responsive to glucose (SGS index 21.8). Co-culture with fibroblasts also provides a high SGS index, permitting use of the recipient'"'"'s fibroblast line as support/trophic cells for an xenotransplantable graft, as for treatment of diabetes.
36 Citations
15 Claims
- 1. A method for carrying out long-term in vitro assembly, propagation and maturation of a functional artificial tissue comprised of more than one kind of cell taken from at least one species of mammal, characterised in that a selected first type of cell capable of being stimulated to secrete a product is co-cultured over an extended period together with at least one selected second type of cell capable of providing a support/trophic function for the first type, in a growth medium supplemented with an effective amount of homologous serum from the species of mammal that provided the first type of cell, so that organised functional, synergistic groups of mixed cell types are developed over the extended period.
- 12. A functional artificial tissue comprised of more than one kind of cell taken from at least one species of mammal, characterised in that the functional artificial tissue is comprised of at least partially organised synergistic accumulations of cells comprised of a first type of cell capable of being stimulated to secrete a product, and at least one second type of cell capable of providing a support/trophic function for the first type of cell, the functional artificial tissue being formed by co-culture in vitro over an extended period of time.
Specification