Embryonic body formation using the tapered soft stencil for cluster culture device.

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are expected to provide a source of tissue, a renewable cell source for tissue engineering, and a method for in vitro drug screening for patient-specific or disease-specific treatment. A simple technology by which iPS cells can be differentiated effectively and in large quantities is strongly desired. In this paper, a new device (Tapered Soft Stencil for Cluster Culture: TASCL) is proposed for the easy and efficient formation of EBs which can be used in regenerative medicine. This device was compared with the two major methods currently being evaluated, namely the HD method and the Terasaki® plate (MWC substitution), in terms of the efficiency, morphology and acquired number of EB formation. Using the TASCL device, the shape of the EBs formed was almost a perfect sphere, and the formation was also faster than for the two other methods. There was little variability in the number of cells. Moreover, EBs formed using the TASCL device had the ability to differentiate into all three germ layers, and differentiation of EBs from the TASCL culture into hepatic cells was confirmed. In conclusion, it appears that the TASCL device can be utilized for EB formation to generate cells for regenerative medicine applications.