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Updated: May 5, 2026

Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Culture on Polyvinyl Alcohol-Co-Itaconic Acid Hydrogels with Varying Stiffness Under Xeno-Free Conditions
Published on: February 3, 2018
Peptide-decorated polyvinyl alcohol/hyaluronan nanofibers for human induced pluripotent stem cell culture
Yi Deng1, Xiaohong Zhang, Yinghui Zhao
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Peking University, Beijing 100081, China; Center for Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100081, China.
Abstract:
Realization of the full potential of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) in clinical applications requires development of well-defined conditions for their growth and differentiation. A novel fully defined polyvinyl alcohol/hyaluronan (PVA/HA) polysaccharide nanofiber was developed for hiPSCs culture in commercially available xeno-free, chemically defined medium. Vitronectin peptide (VP) was immobilized to PVA/HA nanofibers through NHS/EDC chemistry. The hiPSCs successfully grew and proliferated on the VP-decorated PVA/HA nanofibers, similar to those on Matrigel™. Such well-defined, xeno-free and safe nanofiber substrate that supports culture of hiPSCs will not only help to accelerate the translational perspectives of hiPSCs, but also provide a platform to investigate the cell-nanofiber interaction mechanisms that regulate stem cell proliferation and differentiation.

