Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is used in neural stem cell (NSC) media to maintain multipotency. Native bFGF rapidly loses biological activity when exposed to culture conditions (37°C), Heat Stable (HS) bFGF maintains > 90% homology to the native protein and ≥ 80% biological activity, even after 72 hours of exposure to 37°C. In human embryonic stem cell-derived NSCs, HS bFGF can maintain multipotency and standard doubling times with reduced bFGF concentrations. In primary rat NSCs, using HS bFGF allows for a more user-friendly workflow without the loss of multipotency or slower proliferation. After expansion, HS bFGF can be removed just as easily as native bFGF to allow for downstream differentiation into neurons and glial cells.

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