Large-Scale Expansion of Human Liver Stem Cells Using Two Different Bioreactor Systems

The assessment of human liver stem cells (HLSCs) as cell therapeutics requires scalable, controlled expansion processes. We first focused on defining appropriate process parameters for HLSC expansion such as seeding density, use of antibiotics, optimal cell age and critical metabolite concentrations in conventional 2D culture systems. For scale-up, we transferred HLSC expansion to multi-plate and stirred-tank bioreactor systems to determine their limitations. A seeding density of 4000 cells cm^-2 was needed for efficient expansion. Although growth was not significantly affected by antibiotics, the concentrations of lactate and ammonia were important. A maximum expansion capacity of at least 20 cumulative population doublings (cPDs) was observed, confirming HLSC growth, identity and functionality. For the expansion of HLSCs in the multi-plate bioreactor system Xpansion (XPN), the oxygen supply strategy was optimized due to a low k of 0.076 h^-1. The XPN bioreactor yielded a final mean cell density of 94 ± 8 × 10³ cells cm^-2, more than double that of the standard process in T-flasks. However, in the larger XPN50 device, HLSC density reached only 28 ± 0.9 × 10³ cells cm^-2, while the glucose consumption rate increased 8-fold. In a fully-controlled 2 L stirred-tank bioreactor (STR), HLSCs expanded at a comparable rate to the T-flask and XPN50 processes in a homogeneous microenvironment using advanced process analytical technology. Ultimately, the scale-up of HLSCs was successful using two different bioreactor systems, resulting in sufficient numbers of viable, functional and undifferentiated HLSCs for therapeutic applications.