A synthetic peptide-acrylate surface for production of insulin-producing cells from human embryonic stem cells

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), due to their self-renewal capacity and pluripotency, have become a potential source of transplantable β-cells for the treatment of diabetes. However, it is imperative that the derived cells fulfill the criteria for clinical treatment. In this study, we replaced common Matrigel with a synthetic peptide-acrylate surface (Synthemax) to expand undifferentiated hESCs and direct their differentiation in a defined and serum-free medium. We confirmed that the cells still expressed pluripotent markers, had the ability to differentiate into three germ layers, and maintained a normal karyotype after 10 passages of subculture. Next, we reported an efficient protocol for deriving nearly 86% definitive endoderm cells from hESCs under serum-free conditions. Moreover, we were able to obtain insulin-producing cells within 21 days following a simple three-step protocol. The results of immunocytochemical and quantitative gene expression analysis showed that the efficiency of induction was not significantly different between the Synthemax surface and the Matrigel-coated surface. Thus, we provided a totally defined condition from hESC culture to insulin-producing cell differentiation, and the derived cells could be a therapeutic resource for diabetic patients in the future.