Differentiation of human embryonic stem cells in adherent and in chemically defined culture conditions.

Generating fully functional differentiated cells from human embryonic stem cells and achieving this goal using clinically compatible conditions remain major challenges for the stem cell field. The presence of undefined components in standard culture media and protocols (including animal-derived serum, feeder cells, and extracellular matrices) has significantly impeded the achievement of these objectives. Here, we describe culture conditions to differentiate pluripotent cells in adherent conditions and in the absence of stroma cells, feeder cells, conditioned medium, serum, or complex matrices. Importantly, these defined culture conditions are devoid of animal products, thereby eliminating factors that could obscure analysis of developmental mechanisms or render the resulting tissues incompatible with future clinical applications. Copyright 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.