Research in developmental biology has led to the discovery of several types of stem cells, including embryonic stem (ES) cells, embryonic germ cells, and adult stem cells. Techniques and reagents developed for the in vitro culture, manipulation and characterization of stem cells provide unprecedented opportunities to study embryology and develop disease treatments. R&D Systems offers the following kits and panels for stem cell research:

• Differentiation Kits
• Expansion Kits
• Identification Kits
• Stem Cell Antibody Panels
• Cytokine Panels for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Expansion
• Lineage Depletion Antibodies & Kits

Differentiation Kits

• Human/Mouse Dopaminergic Neuron Differentiation Kit (Catalog # SC001B)
  A system designed for in vitro dopaminergic neuron differentiation of mouse ES cells in a serum-free environment. The kit contains ITS and N-2 Supplements, which are used to select and enrich neural stem cell populations. Bovine fibronectin is included to support cell attachment and spreading. A growth factor panel, consisting of human fibroblast growth factor basic (FGF basic), mouse fibroblast growth factor 8b (FGF-8b) and mouse sonic hedgehog amino-terminal peptide (Shh-N), is included for effective DA differentiation. The quantity of each component provided in the kit is estimated to be sufficient for induction of 3 x 10⁷ ES cells.
• Mouse Oligodendrocyte Differentiation Kit (Catalog # SC004)
  This kit is designed for in vitro oligodendrocyte differentiation of mouse ES cells in a serum-free environment. It contains ITS and N-2 Plus Supplements, which are used to select and enrich neural precursor populations that are characterized by nestin and A2B5 staining. Bovine fibronectin is included to support cell attachment and spreading. A growth factor panel, consisting of human fibroblast growth factor basic (FGF basic), human epidermal growth factor (EGF), and human platelet-derived growth factor AA (PDGF-AA) is included for effective oligodendrocyte differentiation. The quantity of each component provided in the kit is estimated to be sufficient for the induction of 3 x 10⁷ ES cells.

Expansion Kits

• Neural Stem Cell Expansion Kits (Catalog # SC003 & SC005)*
  Designed for in vitro NSC expansion in a serum-free environment. Each kit contains an N-2 Plus Supplement, which has been optimized for neural stem cell expansion along with growth factors to promote the in vitro proliferation of neural precursors. The quantity of each component provided in the kit is estimated to be sufficient to make 500 mL of growth medium for cell expansion. SC005 is suitable for a monolayer culture model, and SC003 is for a neurosphere culture model.

Identification Kits

• Mesenchymal Stem Cell Functional Identification Kit (Catalog # SC006)
  Designed for in vitro identification of human bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSC)/mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) based on their ability to differentiate into multiple mesenchymal lineages. The kit contains specially formulated media supplements and a panel of antibodies for the differentiation and identification of adipocytes, chondrocytes and osteocytes.
• Neural Stem Cell Functional Identification Kits (Catalog # SC011, SC013)
  Designed for in vitro identification of human (SC011) or mouse/rat (SC013) neural stem cells (NSC) based on their ability to differentiate into multiple neural lineages. These kits contain specially formulated media supplements and a panel of antibodies for the differentiation and identification of neural precursors, astrocytes, neurons, and oligodendrocytes.

Stem Cell Antibody Panels

These panels are designed for analyzing the differentiation status of human ES cells by evaluating ES cell marker expressions. Each panel contains a group of antibodies that are recognized as markers for undifferentiated human ES cells.

Cytokine Panel for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Expansion

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are well-characterized tissue-specific stem cells that exhibit remarkable self-renewal capacity and are responsible for the life-long maintenance of the hematopoietic system. The combined use of multiple cytokines, Flt-3 Ligand, SCF, and Tpo, permits the ex vivo expansion of HSC. The panel includes sufficient cytokines to make 1000 mL of medium for cell expansion.

Lineage Depletion Antibodies and Kits

Lineage depletion antibodies and kits can be used to enrich for uncommitted cell populations

• Mouse Lineage Depletion Panel (Catalog # MLDP1 to MLDP8) consists of lineage marker antibodies optimized to sufficiently bind 1 x 10⁹ bone marrow derived cells. This panel can conveniently be used in conjunction with magnetic particle separation systems or flow cytometric cell sorting to deplete lineage-committed cells for the enrichment of mouse uncommitted mesenchymal or hematopoietic stem cells.

  Description	Catalog #
  Anti-CD3	MLDP1
  Anti-CD4	MLDP2
  Anti-CD5	MLDP3
  Anti-CD8a	MLDP4
  Anti-CD116/Integrin aM	MLDP5
  Anti-L?-6G/Gr-1	MLDP6
  Anti-CD45R/B220	MLDP7
  Anti-TER-119	MLDP8

• Mouse Lineage Depletion Protocol
• MagCellect™ Mouse Hematopoietic Cell Lineage Depletion Kit** (Catalog # MAGM209) is designed for the enrichment of hematopoietic non-lineage committed cells (lineage negative) from mouse bone marrow. Lineage committed cells (lineage positive) targeted for depletion include T cells, B cells, NK cells, monocytes/macrophages, granulocytes and erythrocytes. The resulting cell population is highly enriched for SCF R/c-kit/CD117⁺ cells to a purity of 40 to 70% (depending on mouse strain) with less than 5% residual lineage positive cells. This kit is for use with the MagCellect Magnet, sold separately (Catalog # MAG997)

  Description	Kit Contents		Catalog #
  MagCellect Mouse Hematopoietic Cell Lineage Depletion Kit	Anti-CD5	Anti-TER-119	MAGM209
  	Anti-CD11b	Streptavidin Ferrofluid
  	Anti-CD45R/B220	Blocking Reagent
  	Anti-Ly-6G/Gr-1	10X Buffer

Figure 1. Dopaminergic neurons generated using Dopaminergic Neuron Differentiation Kit (Catalog # SC001B). Tyrosine Hydroxylase staining is shown in green.	Figure 2. Neural progenitor cells expanded using Neural Stem Cell Expansion Kit (Catalog # SC002). Nestin staining is shown in green and BrdU staining is shown in red.

*Sold under license from StemCells California, Inc. U.S. Patent Nos. 5,750,376, 5,851,832, 5,980,885, 5,968,829, 5,981,165, 6,071,889, 6,093,531, 6,103,530, 6,165,783, 6,238,922.

**This product utilizes and/or contains technology licensed from Immunicon Corporation, Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania 19006, USA, which is covered by one or more claims of United States and International patents and/or pending patent applications.