Issue 9, 2020

High-throughput fabrication of cell-laden 3D biomaterial gradients

Abstract

High-throughput strategies for optimizing biomaterials to direct cellular behaviour are a fundamental need for propelling tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In 2D, biomaterial gradients have proven to be powerful platforms for simultaneously screening several surface conditions. However, their translation to 3D is yet limited to (1) exploiting light-based crosslinking and (2) non-sequential, single-gradient production. We built a microfluidic platform that allows distinct hydrogel precursors, as fluids, to be gradually mixed and crosslinked into 3D gradient fibres. Herein, we report how this system can be used for the sequential fabrication of independent cell-laden libraries with gradients of polymer concentration, non-adhesive/adhesive materials and both ionic and light crosslinking mechanisms. Automated image analysis of hundreds of single-cell events as a function of position yielded trends and pinpointed best-fit conditions based on cell shape, adhesion, proliferation and triggering of stromal/stem cell differentiation. We deliver a simple, versatile, and complete approach towards fully high-throughput 3D gradient fabrication for cell/material screening and optimization.

Graphical abstract: High-throughput fabrication of cell-laden 3D biomaterial gradients

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
18 میٔ 2020
Accepted
29 جوٗن 2020
First published
29 جوٗن 2020

Mater. Horiz., 2020,7, 2414-2421

High-throughput fabrication of cell-laden 3D biomaterial gradients

C. F. Guimarães, L. Gasperini, R. S. Ribeiro, A. F. Carvalho, A. P. Marques and R. L. Reis, Mater. Horiz., 2020, 7, 2414 DOI: 10.1039/D0MH00818D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements