Project leader: Dr. Aleksandra Jauković
Project collaborators: Dr. Diana Bugarski, Dr. Jelena Kocić, Dr. Drenka Trivanović
Project number: 451-03-02338/2012-14/05
Duration of the project: 2013-2014.
Leading institution: Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade
Collaborating institution: Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Tecnical University of Lisbon
Description of the project:
The use of stem/stromal cells derived from adipose tissue as an autologous source of various differentiated cells has great potential for application in regenerative medicine. This project aimed to define effective methods of multipotent stem/stromal cell extraction from adipose tissue (ASC), their expansion and differentiation ex vivo, as well as the examination of their survival and proliferation upon cryopreservation. In addition, the characteristics of ASCs propagated ex vivo were compared in different cell culture model systems, including cultivation in bioreactors and 3D tissue cultures on biomaterial scaffolds. Also, the important aim of this project included investigations of ASCs effects on the proliferation of various tumor cell lines with special emphasis on the maintenance of ASCs biological characteristics and immunoregulatory properties during long-term culture expansion procedures in order to confirm the safety of their clinical use.