Human platelet lysate current standards and future developments

A state-of-the-art workshop focused on the use of human platelet lysate (HPL) for cell therapy. The meeting established that HPL is used mainly as an adjunct material for ex vivo expansion of mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MSCs), where it is successfully used as a substitute for fetal bovine serum. HPL manufacturing as a cell expansion supplement is currently not yet uniformly standardized with regard to platelet source and production methodology. There are very few reports of HPL preparations manufactured specifically for direct clinical use. There exists an urgent need for controlled clinical studies for HPL and for standardization of product definition. Workshop participants also stated a need for consensus minimum release criteria to allow for better product definition and to limit variability in performance. The increasing use of cell-based therapies including MSCs has led to an increasing demand for HPL, either produced in blood establishments or large-scale manufacture by biopharmaceutical companies. The use of pooled donor platelets for HPL production may require the implementation of pathogen inactivation procedures and/or removal steps to improve the safety of advanced cell therapy products. There should also be a requirement for thorough risk assessments and risk mitigation steps, including the qualification of suppliers and identification of ingredients as well as meticulous monitoring of product quality and safety profiles. State-of-the-art regulatory approaches for HPL used for human cell propagation and PRP in direct clinical applications were reviewed.