Magnetic manipulation and spatial patterning of multi-cellular stem cell aggregates.

ABSTRACT: The controlled assembly and organization of multi-cellular systems to mimic complex tissue structures is critical to the engineering of tissues for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Recent advances in micro-scale technologies to control multi-cellular aggregate formation typically require chemical modification of the interface between cells and materials and lack multi-scale flexibility. Here we demonstrate that simple physical entrapment of magnetic microparticles within the extracellular space of stem cells spheroids during initial formation enables scaffold-free immobilization, translocation and directed assembly of multi-cellular aggregates across multiple length and time scales, even under dynamic suspension culture conditions. The response of aggregates to externally applied m

SUBMITTER: Bratt-Leal AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4633527 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature