Good manufacturing practices production of human placental derived mesenchymal stem cells for therapeutic applications: focus on multiple sclerosis

Among neurological diseases, multiple sclerosis (MS) affects mostly young adults and can cause long-term disability. While most medications with approval from regulatory agencies are very effective in treating MS disease, they are unable to repair the tissue damage found in the central nervous system (CNS). Consequently, Cell-based therapy particularly using mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs), holds promise for neuroprotection and tissue repair in MS treatment. Furthermore, placenta-derived MSCs (PLMSCs) have shown the potential to treat MS due to their abundance, noninvasive isolation from discarded tissues, no ethical problems, anti-inflammatory, and reparative properties.

Accordingly, good manufacturing practices (GMPs) plays a crucial part in clinical SCs manufacturing. The purpose of our article is to discuss GMP-grade PLMSC protocols for treating MS as well as other clinical applications.

Placental tissue obtained of a healthy donor during the caesarean delivery and PLMSCs isolated by GMP standards. Flow cytometry was used to assess the expression of the CD markers CD34, CD105, CD90, and CD73 in the MSCs and the mesodermal differentiation ability was evaluated. Furthermore, Genetic evaluation of PLMSCs was done by G-banded karyotyping and revealed no chromosomal instability. In spite of the anatomical origin of the starting material, PLMSCs using this method of culture were maternal in origin.

We hope that our protocol for clinical manufacturing of PLMSCs according to GMP standards will assist researchers in isolating MSCs from placental tissue for clinical and pre-clinical applications.

Harvest method summary of placental tissue. Created with BioRender.com.