Experimental analysis and modeling of in vitro mesenchymal stem cells proliferation

Stem cell therapies based on the differentiation of adult or embryonic cells into specialized ones appear to be effective for treating several human diseases. This work addresses the mathematical simulation of the proliferation kinetics of stem cells. Sheep bone marrow mesenchymal cells seeded at different initial concentrations in Petri dishes are expanded up to confluence. The sigmoidal temporal profiles of total counts obtained through classic hemocytometry are quantitatively interpreted by a novel model based on a 1-D, single-staged population balance approach capable to take into account the contact inhibition at confluence. The models' parameters have been determined by comparison with experimental data on population expansion starting from a single seeding concentration. The reliability of the model is tested by predicting the cell proliferation carried out starting from different seeding concentrations.