Co‐Cultures of Primary Cells on Self‐Supporting Nanoporous Alumina Membranes

Abstract Due to their unique properties, self‐supporting nanoporous aluminum oxide (alumina) membranes are useful substrates for the indirect co‐cultivation of cells. The membrane can act as a physical barrier between different cell types, whereas the cell‐to‐cell communication is guaranteed by the diffusion of soluble molecules or factors through the pores. With the help of such membranes the mRNA expression of hepatic genes can be induced in human adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (hASCs) during an indirect co‐cultivation with primary mouse hepatocytes under different culture conditions. This proof of concept shows that such a cultivation approach is beneficial for different issues in the field tissue engineering or cell therapy.