Controlling Particle Fraction in Microporous Annealed Particle Scaffolds for 3D Cell Culture.
Microgels are the building blocks of microporous annealed particle (MAP) scaffolds, which serve as a platform for both in vitro cell culture and in vivo tissue repair. In these granular scaffolds, the innate porosity generated by the void space between microgels enables cell infiltration and migration. Controlling the void fraction and particle fraction is critical for MAP scaffold design, as porosity is a bioactive cue for cells. Spherical microgels can be generated on a microfluidic device for controlled size and shape and subsequently freeze-dried using methods that prevent fracturing of the polymer network. Upon rehydration, the lyophilized microgels lead to controlled particle fractions in MAP scaffolds. The implementation of these methods for microgel lyophilization has led to reproducible studies showing the effect of particle fraction on macromolecule diffusion and cell spreading. The following protocol will cover the fabrication, lyophilization, and rehydration of microgels for controlling particle fraction in MAP scaffolds, as well as annealing the microgels through bio-orthogonal crosslinking for 3D cell culture in vitro.
Duke Scholars
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Related Subject Headings
- Tissue Scaffolds
- Porosity
- Microgels
- Hydrogels
- Cell Culture Techniques, Three Dimensional
- Cell Culture Techniques
- 3101 Biochemistry and cell biology
- 1702 Cognitive Sciences
- 1701 Psychology
- 0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Citation
Published In
DOI
EISSN
ISSN
Publication Date
Issue
Related Subject Headings
- Tissue Scaffolds
- Porosity
- Microgels
- Hydrogels
- Cell Culture Techniques, Three Dimensional
- Cell Culture Techniques
- 3101 Biochemistry and cell biology
- 1702 Cognitive Sciences
- 1701 Psychology
- 0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology