Mesenchymal Stromal Cell (MSC) Characterization Service

We specialize in mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) characterization service – ensuring characterisation that is clear and reliable. We aim to provide the knowledge you need about the unwanted biological characteristics of MSCs and, how they can be applied in your studies. You can use MSCs for your studies and projects with our assistance. Submit an inquiry here for more information on products, services, project consultations and pricing. We're here to help you on your journey with research.

Why is Characterization of MSCs Important?

MSCs vary greatly depending on their source, mode of isolation and culture conditions. Their functional properties change in response to changes in the microenvironment. To ensure that cell therapies are safe and effective, the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) requires that MSCs meet three main criteria:

• Adhesion: They must adhere stably to the cell wall under standard culture conditions.
• Specific Phenotypic Markers: They should express CD105, CD73 and CD90 (positive) and not hematopoietic lineage markers such as CD45 and CD34.
• Trilineage Differentiation Potential: They can transform into osteoblasts, adipocytes and chondrocytes.

Our Characterization Services

Our MSC characterization service focuses on providing customers with comprehensive solutions for characterizing MSCs, including but not limited to the following:

• Growth Capacity Assay

Detect the proliferative capacity of MSCs by flow cytometry, proliferation assay, etc. Using medium without animal-derived components, continuous passaging culture up to the 8th generation is used to accurately calculate the cell multiplication time. Evaluate the efficiency of MSC expansion from different tissue sources (bone marrow, adipose, umbilical cord blood, etc.).

Fig.1 Population doubling and doubling time of MSCs grown in medium.¹

• Verification of Differentiation Assay
  Using specific inducing factors, the differentiation ability of MSCs to bone, cartilage and adipocytes was detected.
  
  • Lipogenic differentiation: Quantification of lipid droplet formation using Oil Red O staining, supplemented by gene expression analysis such as PPARγ.
  • Osteogenic differentiation: calcium nodules were detected by Alizarin Red S staining, combined with Runx2 gene expression verification.
  • Chondrogenic differentiation: proteoglycan secretion was assessed by Safranin O staining, synchronized with analysis of key genes such as SOX9.

Fig.2 Differentiation potential of MSCs.¹

• Phenotypic Analysis

Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence staining were used to detect key surface markers such as CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105 and other positive markers and CD45, CD34 and other negative markers, combined with non-classical markers such as STRO-1 to validate the purity of cells. In addition, we also provide detection of non-classical markers to meet the needs of production. We support customer-specified marker combinations to meet the diverse needs of your research.

Fig.3 Morphology of MSCs expanded at P5 stage.¹

Fig.4 Immunophenotyping of human MSCs.¹

• Immunomodulatory Capacity Assay

We assess the immunomodulatory properties of MSCs through lymphocyte proliferation inhibition assay and dendritic cell maturation inhibition assay.

• Gene Expression Analysis

Through transcriptomics and proteomics analysis, we reveal the gene expression pattern of MSCs in different different differentiation states.

Workflow

Our MSC characterization service is dedicated to providing our customers with scientific, efficient, and reliable characterization solutions to help you gain a deeper understanding of the biology of MSCs and their potential applications in research. Please contact our team of experts for a customized solution.

Reference

1. Bhat, Samatha, et al. "Expansion and characterization of bone marrow derived human mesenchymal stromal cells in serum-free conditions." Scientific reports 11.1 (2021): 3403. Distributed under Open Access license CC BY 4.0, without modification.