Serum-free media for chondrocytes and methods of use thereof

Patent Number: 7,169,610

This patent discloses methods of expanding chondrocyte precursors and differentiated chondrocytes ex vivo without the use of animal derived tissue culture components.

The patent teaches the use of growth factors such as platelet derived growth factor, together with specific lipids, such as stearic acid, myristic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, arachidonic acid, linolenic acid, cholesterol, and alpha-tocopherol acetate for expansion of the chondrocyte cell or progenitors thereof. The use of platelet derived growth factor for the manipulation of chondrocyte precursors has already been described. However it appears that in this patent the addition of the specific lipids to the culture media are an important component that made it worthy of being issued.

View this patent on the USPTO website.