Cultivation of primate embryonic stem cells

Abstract

The invention relates to methods for culturing human embryonic stem cells by culturing the stem cells in an environment essentially free of mammalian fetal serum and in a stem cell culture medium including amino acids, vitamins, salts, minerals, transferring, insulin, albumin, and a fibroblast growth factor that is supplied from a source other than just a feeder layer the medium. Also disclosed are compositions capable of supporting the culture and proliferation of human embryonic stem cells without the need for feeder cells or for exposure of the medium to feeder cells.

1 . A method of culturing human embryonic stem cells, comprising: 
 culturing the stem cells in a culture essentially free of mammalian fetal serum and in a stem cell culture medium including amino acids, vitamins, salts, minerals, transferrin or a transferrin substitute, insulin or an insulin substitute, albumin, and a fibroblast growth factor that is supplied from a source other than just a feeder layer and is present in a concentration of at least about 100 ng/ml, the medium capable of supporting the culture and proliferation of human embryonic stem cells without the need for feeder cells or for exposure of the medium to feeder cells.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the culture is essentially free of any animal serum.  
     
     
         3 . A method of culturing human embryonic stem cells in defined media without serum and without fibroblast feeder cells, the method comprising: 
 culturing the stem cells in a culture medium containing albumin, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, at least one transferrin or transferrin substitute, at least one insulin or insulin substitute, the culture medium essentially free of mammalian fetal serum and containing at least about 100 ng/ml of a fibroblast growth factor capable of activating a fibroblast growth factor signaling receptor, wherein the growth factor is supplied from a source other than just a fibroblast feeder layer, the medium supported the proliferation of stem cells in an undifferentiated state without feeder cells or conditioned medium.    
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said culturing step includes the embryonic stem cells proliferating in culture for over one month while maintaining the potential of the stem cells to differentiate into derivatives of endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm tissues, and while maintaining the karyotype of the stem cells.  
     
     
         5 . A culture of human embryonic stem cells comprising: 
 human embryonic stem cells; and    a stem cell medium comprising containing albumin, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, at least one transferrin or transferrin substitute, at least one insulin or insulin substitute, the culture medium essentially free of mammalian fetal serum and containing at least about 100 ng/ml of a fibroblast growth factor capable of activating a fibroblast growth factor signaling receptor, the medium capable of culturing stem cells in the absence of serum and in the absence of feeder cells and also in the absence of medium exposed to feeder cells,    wherein the culture is capable of maintaining the stem cells in an undifferentiated state indefinitely.