Two-Photon Polymerization of 3D Electrically Conductive Scaffolds for Neuronal Cell Studies

The brain is the most intricate organ in the human body, yet the underlying mechanisms of its cells and networks are not fully mapped. In addition to this lack of understanding, there are numerous neurological disorders and diseases for which a cure remains elusive. There has been persistent research to understand how neuronal cells function...

Microporous annealable particles as embedding baths for multiscale vascular 3D bioprinting

Vascularisation is a critical factor in large-scale tissue engineering, as it supports the survival of cells in large tissue constructs. In native tissue, a hierarchical vascular network is present where larger vessels transport nutrients and oxygen throughout the body, and smaller capillaries facilitate blood-tissue exchange. In large-scale...

Fingerprinting stain fields in tissue rupture: A conceptual approach: DIC in the diagnosis of atherosclerosis

Atherosclerotic plaque rupture is the underlying cause of 50% of deaths in western society. Although screening methodologies exist, plaques are highly complex, and the parameters used to measure plaque vulnerability are often insufficient for correct medical screening. Since plaque rupture occurs when the vascular forces exceed the plaque...

Use of supercritical carbon dioxide for decellularization of porcine trachea in an attempt to generate a tissue-engineered tracheal substitute

Purpose: Patients with tracheal lesions that exceed half of the trachea’s total length require a tracheal substitute. Tissue engineering, using either synthetic materials or decellularized tracheal tissue, opens up new possibilities for generating tracheal substitutes. Decellularization, a procedure in which the tissue's...

Establishing In Vitro Organoid-Based Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Model in Cholangiocarcinoma Including Tumor Extracellular Environment

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a highly aggressive biliary tumor with a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Various critical aspects of CCA development remain unclear. Lately, the dynamic process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was highlighted to play a crucial role in the fundamental mechanism of metastatic dissemination....

Bioprinting of Zonal Cartilage Scaffolds Using Different Cell Densities: A biomimetic approach on cartilage regeneration

The use of allografts for the treatment of critical size cartilage defects holds disadvantages including the limited number of donors and the compromised chondrocyte viability. These limitations have prompted researchers to explore different options, such as cartilage engineering. Bioprinting, a promising tissue engineering technique, could be...

Modeling Primary Liver Cancer using Tumor-Derived Extracellular Matrix

Due to the global health impact of primary livercancer, resourceful models are required to develop new therapies and to studychemo-resistance. Recentadvantages in understanding cancer complexity have shifted research to theimportance of the niche of the tumor cells. In cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), anaggressive malignancy of the...

Making cultured meat in a Petri dish: Optimisation of the extracellular matrix for 3D skeletal muscle tissue engineering

Context. In times where human kind is facing serious challenges due to global warming, scarcity of natural resources and inequality, to continue producing food, especially meat, as it is now done, does not seem sustainable. For people that want to continue enjoying their delicious piece of steak, the manner in which meat is sourced will need to...

Fabrication and Characterization of Self-Assembled Tissue Rings using Patient Cells with Variants in Aneurysm Genes

Aortic Abdominal Aneurysm (AAA) is a chronic degenerative disease of the arterial wall. The aortic vessel wall abnormally dilates due to multiple possible causes and may eventually rupture. It is characterized by several factors leading to the extreme dilation due to the degeneration of the vessel wall extracellular matrix (ECM). It is often...

Differentiation of Functional Endothelial Cells Derived From Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Patient iPSCs: A Step Towards the First 3D Engineered Heart Tissue Model of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a complex, progressive disease characterized by an increased mean pulmonary arterial pressure at rest, and is associated with a high rate of mortality due to right ventricular failure as the disease progresses. While numerous animal and cell culture models have been created in an attempt to better...

Creating a simplified and standardised bioreactor system for tissue-engineered vascular graft culturing and characterisation

With the recent developments in tissue-engineered organ substitutes, there has been an increasing demand for novel culturing techniques to create biological substitutes in vitro, as well as reliable and efficient test methods that can assess their biocompatibility and mechanical performance. In the past two decades, perfusion bioreactors have...

Towards efficient perfusion recellularization of porcine liver grafts with liver-derived organoids

Currently, the only effective treatment for end-stage liver diseases is liver transplantation. However, the waiting list with patients who are in need of a new liver is long, because too few good-quality donor livers are available. New techniques in the field of tissue engineering are being investigated to create a reconstructed liver, which...