Hydrogels as Extracellular Matrix Analogs

Promoting Extracellular Matrix Crosslinking in Synthetic Hydrogels

Tunable Hydrogels from Pulmonary Extracellular Matrix for 3D Cell Culture.

Here we present a method for establishing multiple component cell culture hydrogels for in vitro lung cell culture. Beginning with healthy en bloc lung tissue from porcine, rat, or mouse, the tissue is perfused and submerged in subsequent chemical detergents to remove the cellular debris. Histological comparison of the tissue before and after processing confirms removal of over 95% of double st...

Microfluidic synthesis of cell-type-specific artificial extracellular matrix hydrogels.

Droplet microfluidic technology is applied for the high-throughput synthesis via Michael-type addition of reactive, micrometer-sized poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels ("microgels") with precisely controlled dimension and physicochemical properties. A versatile chemical scheme is used to modify the reactive PEG microgels with tethered biomolecules to tune their bioactive properties for the b...

Hydrogels derived from central nervous system extracellular matrix.

Biologic scaffolds composed of extracellular matrix (ECM) are commonly used repair devices in preclinical and clinical settings; however the use of these scaffolds for peripheral and central nervous system (CNS) repair has been limited. Biologic scaffolds developed from brain and spinal cord tissue have recently been described, yet the conformation of the harvested ECM limits therapeutic utilit...

Synthetic PEG Hydrogels as Extracellular Matrix Mimics for Tissue Engineering Applications

In recent years the field of tissue engineering, or regenerative medicine, has developed from the need to replace damaged and/or diseased tissues and organs by combining biomaterial scaffolds, biological signaling molecules, and cells. The regeneration of tissues may be achieved using either one of two principle approaches: 1) the in vitro construction or 2) the in vivo induction of tissue. In ...