Salivary Gland Cell Sheets and Methods for their Production and Use

Abstract

The disclosure provides a salivary gland (SG) cell sheet comprising one or more layers of confluent SG cells (e.g. submandibular gland (SMG) cells). Methods of treating a wound in a salivary gland (SG), treating hyposalivation, and treating irradiation damage in an SG are also provided. The disclosure also provides a method for producing SG cell sheets comprising culturing SG cells in culture solution on a temperature-responsive polymer which has been coated onto a substrate surface of a cell culture support, wherein the temperature-responsive polymer has a lower critical solution temperature in water of 0-80° C.; adjusting the temperature of el the culture solution to below the lower critical solution temperature, whereby the substrate surface is made hydrophilic and adhesion of the cell sheet to the surface is weakened; and detaching the cell sheet from the culture support.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.