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Dynamic bioengineered hydrogels as scaffolds for advanced stem cell and organoid culture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 August 2017

Laura C. Bahlmann ,
Ana Fokina  and
Molly S. Shoichet
Laura C. Bahlmann
Affiliation:
Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S3E1, Canada
Ana Fokina
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E5, Canada
Molly S. Shoichet*
Affiliation:
Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S3E1, Canada Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E5, Canada Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
*
Address all correspondence to Molly S. Shoichet at molly.shoichet@utoronto.ca
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Abstract

Bioengineered hydrogels enable systematic variation of mechanical and biochemical properties, resulting in the identification of optimal in vitro three-dimensional culture conditions for individual cell types. As the scientific community attempts to mimic and study more complex biologic processes, hydrogel design has become multi-faceted. To mimic organ and tissue heterogeneity in terms of spatial arrangement and temporal changes, hydrogels with spatiotemporal control over mechanical and biochemical properties are needed. In this prospective article, we present studies that focus on the development of hydrogels with dynamic mechanical and biochemical properties, highlighting the discoveries made using these scaffolds.

Type
Biomaterials for 3D Cell Biology Prospective Article
Information
MRS Communications , Volume 7 , Issue 3 , September 2017 , pp. 472 - 486
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2017 

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Footnotes

†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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