Application of microarray technology for microbial diagnosis in stem cell cultures: a review

Stem cell lines used for cell therapy and regenerative medicine programs could be contaminated by several types of microorganism, such as bacteria, fungi, yeasts, viruses and prion particles. The presence of these pathogens makes the stem cell cultures unsuitable for transplant in humans. At the moment, tests for detecting these kinds of pathogens are carried out by means of standardized diagnosis procedures, in order to avoid the possibility of transmitting infectious diseases to the recipients of stem cell products. Some of the methods that can be included in a microbiologic control program are culture-based methods for sterility assessment, molecular techniques (PCR, RT-PCR), Ag detection and electron microscopy. However, new technologies based on DNA microarrays and protein arrays could also be applied for microbial diagnosis in stem cell lines in order to improve the microorganism detection. In this review, we summarize the main features concerning microarray methodology, the advantages and disadvantages regarding microbial diagnosis for stem cell cultures and possible future application in stem cell research centers in the microbiology field.