In collaboration with our partner Ajinomoto, recognised amino-acid experts, we are launching in Europe a new Xeno-free, defined medium for Human Embryonic Stem cells and induced Pluripotent Stem cell (iPS) culture. The new StemFit^® Basic02 is a high performance single expansion medium for Stem cell and iPS cell weekend free cell culture.

In addition to a plethora of cytokines and growth factors which can be used in stem cell biology to stimulate differentiation, proliferation, and maintenance of different cell types, there are a number of small molecules which are known to act in similar ways on stem cells. The crucial point, is that these molecules have to be produced and formulated in a way which keeps them bio-active.

Self-renewal and differentiation capacities into multiple cell-types are 2 main characteristics of Stem Cells. Contrarily to Embryonic Stem Cells, Adult Stem Cells (ASC) are already committed to a differentiated lineage. Nevertheless, ASC still retain capacities of generating various cell types within their restricted lineage. It’s thus crucial to be able to access high quality and reliable research tools when tracking cell differentiation. Here, we’ll review the most popular reagents used to characterize the ectodermal lineage.

I’d like to share with you some input given to me by my colleagues working daily with researchers involved in Stem cell research. They regularly report positive feedback about antibodies used for pluripotency tests.

Which are the most popular antibodies made for Stem cell and iPSC research, validated by Life Scientists? Well, here you’ll find a compilation of the most cited markers and corresponding antibodies.