Xeno-Free Adaptation and Culture of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including embryonic stem (ES) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, have been historically cultured in media containing xenogeneic animal components. As hPSC-derived cells and tissues are being developed for human therapies, the application of culture systems to reduce potential immunoreactivity and improve reproducibility becomes increasingly vital. Methods for directly adapting hPSCs to a commercially available culture system free of nonhuman proteins (xeno-free) are described in this chapter.