Project description:Biomaterial scaffolds have the potential to enhance neuronal development and regeneration. Understanding the genetic responses of astrocytes and neurons to biomaterials could facilitate the development of synthetic environments that enable the specification of neural tissue organization with engineered scaffolds. In this study, we used high throughput transcriptomic and imaging methods to determine the impact of a hydrogel with no known bioactive epitopes, Puramatrix™, on human glial cells in vitro. Parallel studies were undertaken with cells grown in a monolayer environment on tissue culture polystyrene. When the Normal Human Astrocyte (NHA) cell line is grown in a hydrogel matrix environment, the glial cells adopt a structural organization that resembles that of neuronal-glial cocultures, where neurons form clusters that are distinct from the surrounding glia. Statistical analysis of next generation RNA sequencing data uncovered a set of genes that are differentially expressed in the monolayer and matrix hydrogel environments. Functional analysis demonstrated that hydrogel-upregulated genes can be grouped into three broad categories: neuronal differentiation and/or neural plasticity, response to neural insult, and sensory perception. Our results demonstrate that hydrogel biomaterials have the potential to transform human glial cell identity, and may have applications in the repair of damaged brain tissue
Project description:Porcine mammary fatty tissues represent an abundant source of biomaterial for generation of breast-specific extracellular matrix (ECM). Here we report the extraction of total ECM proteins from pig breast fatty tissues, the fabrication of hydrogel scaffolds from the extracted ECM proteins, the structural properties of the scaffolds, and the applications of the hydrogel in human mammary epithelial cell spatial cultures for cell surface receptor expression, metabolomics characterization, acini formation, proliferation, migration between different scaffolding compartments, and in vivo tumor formation. This model system provides an additional option for studying human breast diseases such as breast cancer.
Project description:Cell viability and global gene expression was anayzed from collagen 1 hydrogel scaffolds following 3 hours of cyclic mechanical loading and compared with non-loaded scaffolds. Keywords: human dermal fibroblasts; dynamic cell culture; mechanical stress
Project description:Cell viability and global gene expression was anayzed from collagen 1 hydrogel scaffolds following 3 hours of cyclic mechanical loading and compared with non-loaded scaffolds. Experiment Overall Design: 6 samples are analyzed (2 sets in triplicate). The first set is the Loaded condition in which Collagen 1 hydrogels seeded with Human dermal fibroblasts underwent cyclic loading of 0.1Hz for 180 minutes at 37 degrees Celsius. The second set is the control Unloaded condition in which the Collagen 1 hydrogels seeded with Human dermal fibroblasts are incubated at 37 degrees Celsius with no loading.
Project description:Meaningful models of human neural development and neurodegeneration are extremely important when exploring stem-cell-based regenerative therapies. However, existing 3D cultures fall short of being highly defined, modular, and controllable. Adapting a glycosaminoglycan-based, cell-responsive hydrogel platform, we stimulated primary and induced human neural stem cells (NSCs) to manifest neurogenic plasticity and form extensive neuronal networks in vitro. The 3D cultures exhibited neurotransmitter responsiveness, electrophysiological activity, and tissue-specific extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. By whole transcriptome sequencing, we identified that 3D cultures express mature neuronal markers, and reflect the in vivo genetic program of mature cortical neurons compared to 2D cultures. Thus, our data suggest that our established 3D hydrogel culture supports the tissue-mimetic maturation of human neurons in an unprecedented manner. We modeled neurodegenerative conditions by treating the cultures with A?42 peptide and observed the known human pathological effects of Alzheimer?s disease including reduced NSC proliferation, impaired neuronal network formation, synaptic loss and failure in ECM deposition as well as elevated Tau hyperphosphorylation and formation of neurofibrillary tangles. We also determined the changes in transcriptomes of primary and induced NSC-derived neurons after A?42, providing a useful resource for further studies. Thus, our hydrogel-based human cortical 3D cell culture is a powerful platform for studying various aspects of neural development and neurodegeneration, as exemplified for A?42 toxicity and neurogenic stem cell plasticity.
Project description:In vitro models of human liver functions are used across a diverse range of applications in preclinical drug development and disease modeling, with particular increasing interest in models that capture facets of liver inflammatory status. This study investigates how the interplay between biophysical and biochemical microenvironment cues influence phenotypic responses, including inflammation signatures, of primary human hepatocytes (PHH) cultured in a commercially available perfused bioreactor. A 3D printing-based alginate microwell system was designed to form thousands of hepatic spheroids in a scalable manner as a comparator 3D culture modality to the bioreactor. Soft, synthetic extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogel scaffolds with biophysical properties mimicking features of liver were engineered to replace polystyrene scaffolds, and the biochemical microenvironment was modulated with a defined set of growth factors and signaling modulators. The supplemented media significantly increased tissue density, albumin secretion, and CYP3A4 activity but also upregulated inflammatory markers. Basal inflammatory markers were lower for cells maintained in ECM hydrogel scaffolds or spheroid formats than polystyrene scaffolds, while hydrogel scaffolds exhibited the most sensitive response to inflammation as assessed by multiplexed cytokine and RNA-seq analyses. Together, these engineered 3D liver microenvironments provide insights for probing human liver functions and inflammatory response in vitro.
Project description:3D printed scaffolds have been shown to be superior in promoting tissue repair, but the cell-level specific regulatory network activated by 3D printing scaffolds with different material components to form a symbiosis niche have not been systematically revealed. Here, three typical 3D printed scaffolds, including natural polymer hydrogel (Gelatin-methacryloyl, GelMA), synthetic polymer material (Polycaprolactone, PCL) and bioceramic (β-tricalcium phosphate, β-TCP), were fabricated to explore the regulating effect of the symbiotic microenvironment during bone healing. Enrichment analysis showed that hydrogel promotes tissue regeneration and reconstruction by improving blood vessel generation by enhancing oxygen transport and red blood cell development. The PCL scaffold regulates cell proliferation and differentiation by promoting cellular senescence, cell cycle and DNA replication pathways, accelerating the process of endochondral ossification and the formation of callus. The β-TCP scaffold can specifically enhance the expression of osteoclast differentiation and extracellular space pathway genes to promote the differentiation of osteoclasts and promote the process of bone remolding. In these processes, specific biomaterial properties can be used to guide cell behavior and regulate molecular network in the symbiotic microenvironment to reduce the barriers of regeneration and repair.
Project description:Comparison of genomic data from astrocytes and non-astrocyte cells from mice with or without FGF+EGF after SCI. We conducted genome-wide RNA sequencing of (i) immunoprecipitated astrocyte-specific ribosome-associated RNA (ramRNA) and (ii) the non-precipitated (flow-through) RNA deriving from non-astrocyte cells, from spinal cord tissue of mice recieving i) SCI alone, ii) SCI+hydrogel depot containing FGF+EGF, or iii) SCI+empty hydrogel depot.
Project description:Vocal folds (VFs) are exposed to external and internal stimuli that may cause damage leading to structural alterations and compromised function. Extracellular matrix (ECM)-based biomaterials have been explored as bioactive scaffolds to tissue repair. An injectable form of the VF-ECM scaffold would be an ideal biomaterial for minimally invasive delivery to injured VFs. The goal of this study was to develop a hydrogel form of VF lamina propria ECM (VFLP-ECM) and to characterize its properties and in vitro cellular response.
Project description:We hypothesized that generating spinal motor neurons (sMNs) from human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neural aggregates (NAs) using a chemically-defined differentiation protocol would be more effective inside of 3D fibrin hydrogels compared to 2D poly-L-ornithine(PLO)/laminin-coated tissue culture plastic surfaces. We performed targeted RNA-Seq using next generation sequencing to determine the substrate-specific differences in gene expression that regulate cell phenotype. Cells cultured on both substrates expressed sMN genes CHAT and MNX1, though persistent WNT signaling contributed to a higher expression of genes associated with interneurons in NAs cultured in 3D fibrin scaffolds. Cells in fibrin also expressed lower levels of astrocyte progenitor genes and higher levels of the neuronal-specific gene TUBB3, suggesting a purer population of neurons compared to 2D cultures. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Fibrin scaffolds can support the neuronal differentiation of pluripotent stem cells. This study provides insight into how fibrin hydrogels affect neuronal induction by analyzing of the signaling pathways activated during the differentiation process. These insights can then be used to tailor the properties of these hydrogels to optimize the generation of sMNs for regenerative medicine applications.