Engineering the niche for stem cells

Abstract

Much has been made about the potential for stem cells in regenerative medicine but the reality is that the development of actual therapies has been slow. Adult stem cells rely heavily on the assortment of biochemical and biophysical elements that constitute the local microenvironment in which they exist. One goal of biomedicine is to create an artificial yet biofunctional niche to support multipotency, differentiation and proliferation. Such tools would facilitate more conclusive experimentation by biologists, pharmaceutical scientists and tissue engineers. While many bioengineering techniques and platforms are already in use, technological innovations now allow this to be done at a higher resolution and specificity. Ultimately, the multidisciplinary integration of engineering and biology will allow the niche to be generated at a scale that can be clinically exploited. Using the systems that constitute the intestinal, hematopoietic and epidermal tissues, this article summarizes the various approaches and tools currently employed to recreate stem cell niches and also explores recent advances in the field.

<p>ZIF-8 Modified Polypropylene Membrane: A Biomimetic Cell Culture Platform with a View to the Improvement of Guided Bone Regeneration</p>

“…Predominantly, batch-to-batch variability, xenogenic contaminants, and costly manufacturing on a large scale currently present challenges to the use of existing regenerative protocols (as reviewed by Adam D. et al 16 and Tan and Barker). 17 Moreover, typical tissue engineering strategies rely on the use of proper scaffolds to support critical behavior of the cells and provide essential mechanical parameters of natural tissues.…”

Mineral particles modulate osteo-chondrogenic differentiation of embryonic stem cell aggregates

“…The successful application of PSCs primarily depends on their direct differentiation into specific lineages, which are both governed by biochemical and biophysical cues [6-8]. Osteo-chondrogenic lineage-specific differentiation of stem cells is commonly controlled by supplementing culture media with osteoinductive factors including β-glycerophosphate (β-GP), ascorbic acid, dexamethasone, and/or growth factors such as vitamin D3, transform growth factor βs (TGFβs), and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) [3, 5, 9, 10].…”

Engineering Stem Cell Organoids

“…Alternatively, ECM scaffolds can also be produced from decellularized matrices. For example, upon reaching confluency in vitro, the underlying ECM matrix of bone marrow stromal cells can be decellularized and used to mimic endosteal or vascular niches along with the appropriate growth factors (Tan and Barker, 2013). …”