Scientists at the University
of California, San Diego have developed a new method for
making scaffolds for culturing tissue in 3D arrangements that mimic those in
the body. This advance, published online in Advanced
Materials, allows the production of tissue culture scaffolds containing
multiple structurally and chemically distinct layers using common laboratory
reagents and materials.
According to the UC San Diego researchers, this process is
more affordable and widely feasible than previous methods that required
expensive equipment and expertise.
The new approach is remarkably simple: Solutions of the
components of each layer, including polymers, are mixed with varying
concentrations of a common inert reagent to control density. The solutions are
layered so that the difference in density segregates each solution, and then
polymerized so that they form a gel. The structure of each layer can be altered
by varying the concentration of polymers, and the discreteness of the transition
between layers can be altered by allowing the solutions to diffuse.
Lead author Jerome Karpiak, graduate student in the UCSD
Biomedical Sciences Program, said, "We're excited about the relevance of this
method to tissue engineering. Since it offers such straightforward spatial
control over structure and composition of stratified tissue scaffolds,
including cell type and density, this technology could help the field move much
faster." Tissues cultured in vitro to mimic those in the body can potentially
provide an alternative to transplantation for injured or degenerated tissue.
"We believe this approach will vastly broaden the number of
labs capable of culturing complex tissue," said Adah Almutairi, PhD, assistant
professor at the UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
the Department of Nanoengineering and the Materials Science and Engineering
Program at the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering. "Because manipulation of
structure and concentrations of signal molecules is much easier in this system
than in intact organisms, it holds great potential to advance the study of
development and disease." For example, this method may offer a novel approach
to study how surrounding molecules affect the growth of axons in
neurodevelopmental disorders.
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