Abstract

Cancer Stem Cells and Hepatocytes for Drug Screening

Annamaria Lilienkampf, Research and Teaching Fellow, Edinburgh University

In my talk I will introduce polymer microarray technology; including our inkjet mediated fabrication methodologies (which allows over 7000 different substrates to be made on a single glass slide) and describe how this approach has been used in a large number of stem cell based applications, notably: (i). The use of polymer microarray technology to discover a novel thermo-responsive chemically-defined hydrogel for long term culture of human embryonic stem cells (Nature Communication, 2013) and mesenchymal adipose derived stem cells (Biomaterials, 2014). (ii). Polymer discovery that were able to support highly functional hESC-derived hepatocyte like cells (as active as primary human hepatoctyes) (with David Hay see: Stem Cell Res, 2011 and WO2010106345). (iii). The discovery and application of a substrate, able to “lock-down” CSC’s in their CSC state.