Directed assembly of cell-laden microgels for fabrication of 3D tissue constructs

Abstract

We present a bottom-up approach to direct the assembly of cell-laden microgels to generate tissue constructs with tunable microarchitecture and complexity. This assembly process is driven by the tendency of multiphase liquid-liquid systems to minimize the surface area and the resulting surface free energy between the phases. We demonstrate that shape-controlled microgels spontaneously assemble within multiphase reactor systems into predetermined geometric configurations. Furthermore, we characterize the parameters that influence the assembly process, such as external energy input, surface tension, and microgel dimensions. Finally, we show that multicomponent cell-laden constructs could be generated by assembling microgel building blocks and performing a secondary cross-linking reaction. This bottom-up approach for the directed assembly of cell-laden microgels provides a powerful and highly scalable approach to form biomimetic 3D tissue constructs and opens a paradigm for directing the assembly of mesoscale materials.bottom-up ͉ hydrogel ͉ microscale engineering ͉ biomimetic

Magnetically actuated cell-laden microscale hydrogels for probing strain-induced cell responses in three dimensions

“…General losses of cell viability in stiffer hydrogels (higher monomer concentration) occurred possibly because of limited pore size, encapsulation stress and nutrient limitations, all of which have been previously demonstrated. 38,39 The NIH-3T3 fibroblasts encapsulated in the μMACs with a stiffness of 6 kPa showed high viability even after 5 days of culture (Figure 3b). Note that the μMACs with a stiffness of 6 kPa with 10% (w v − 1 ) GelMA had the highest tolerance to strain and were used in subsequent studies.…”

Fabrication of Hydrogel Particles of Defined Shapes Using Superhydrophobic‐Hydrophilic Micropatterns

“…6,7 Several attempts have been proposed to solve this problem. [8][9][10][11][12] The Doyle group developed methods to generate hydrogel microparticles with specific shapes using continuous flow or stopflow lithography. 13 A droplet-based microfluidic system was proposed to construct alginate gel beads encapsulating cells.…”

Surface Coating as a Key Parameter in Engineering Neuronal Network Structures In Vitro

“…Many cell types have been successfully patterned with microfluidics [14][15][16], lCP [17], inkjet printing [18,19], plasma treatment [20], self-assembled monolayers [21][22][23][24], self-assembled constructs [25], laser scanning lithography [26], atomic force microscope lithography, dip-pen nanolithography [27], topography [28,29], carbon nano-tubes [30], or their combinations [31,32]. Neurons are, however, distinctive cells with highly polarized morphology, much smaller somata, and thus few anchoring points for adhesion in comparison to most types of adherent mammalian cells.…”