In vitro co-culture models for the assessment of orthopedic antibacterial biomaterials

The antibacterial biofunctionality of bone implants is essential for the prevention and treatment of implant-associated infections (IAI). In vitro co-culture models are utilized to assess this and study bacteria-host cell interactions at the implant interface, aiding our understanding of biomaterial and the immune response against IAI without...

Engineering and integration of pathways for anaerobic redox-cofactor balancing in yeast

The production of ethanol by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae remains the process in industrial biotechnology with the largest product volume (ca. 100 million litres annually in 2022). Carbon losses occur due to the formation of biomass and glycerol, which can account for at least 8% of the product. Under anaerobic conditions, formation of...

Co-Culture of Precision-Cut Liver Slices and Liver-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: An ex vivo model for mesenchymal stromal cell administration during hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion of the liver

Due to the limited availability of suitable livers for transplantation and the increasing use of suboptimal donor livers, which are more prone to ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), there is an urgent need for novel graft-ameliorating therapies. The promising capacities of (liver-derived) mesenchymal stromal cells ((L-)MSC) in mitigating IRI and...

Evaluation of silver bio-functionality in a multicellular in vitro model: towards reduced animal usage in implant-associated infection research

Background: Despite the extensive use of silver ions or nanoparticles in research related to preventing implant-associated infections (IAI), their use in clinical practice has been debated. This is because the strong antibacterial properties of silver are counterbalanced by adverse effects on host cells. One of the reasons for this may be the...

Co-cultivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains combines advantages of different metabolic engineering strategies for improved ethanol yield

Glycerol is the major organic byproduct of industrial ethanol production with the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Improved ethanol yields have been achieved with engineered S. cerevisiae strains in which heterologous pathways replace glycerol formation as the predominant mechanism for anaerobic re-oxidation of surplus NADH generated in...

Co-Culture of Liver-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells and Intrahepatic Cholangiocyte Organoids in an Extracellular Matrix Environment: a Step Towards Complex Liver Models

To this day, liver transplantation is the only effective treatment for end-stage liver failure. Unfortunately, the scarcity of liver donors leads to waitlist mortality, pushing the need for alternative treatment options. In vitro models are essential tools in research on alternatives for transplantation. One of the promising models is the...

Towards Direct Co-culture Models for Osteoimmunodulatory Studies: An exploratory study on the effects of nanopatterns and shear stress on cellular crosstalk

In the last two decades, it has been generally accepted that the interaction between bone and immune cells is critical in the process of bone healing and regeneration. Steering this immune response with the development of biomaterials could lead to implant acceptance in the long term. The understanding of osteoimmunological responses is of high...

Optimization of a Multi Microchamber Biochip for Cell Co-culture

The goal of this project is to model, fabricate and characterize a multi microchamber biochip, which allows for crosstalk between two types of living cells. This biochip uses laminar flow to separate two microchambers for cell co-culture. A study of fluid dynamics through finite element analysis was implemented to optimize two methods for...