10.15140/881E-6607
Leach, Kent
UC Davis
Defining hydrogel properties to instruct lineage- and cell-specific
mesenchymal differentiation
UC Davis
2018
2019-02-23T08:00:00Z
en
dataset
89081533 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
The maintenance and direction of stem cell lineage after implantation
remains challenging for clinical translation. Aggregation and
encapsulation into instructive biomaterials after preconditioning can
bolster retention of differentiated phenotypes. Since these procedures do
not depend on cell type or lineage, we hypothesized we could use a common,
tunable platform to engineer formulations that retain and enhance multiple
lineages from different cell populations. To test this, we varied alginate
stiffness and adhesive ligand content, then encapsulated spheroids of
varying cellularity. We used Design-of-Experiments to determine the effect
of these parameters and their interactions on phenotype retention. The
combination of parameters leading to maximal differentiation varied with
lineage and cell type, inducing a 2-4-fold increase over non-optimized
levels. Phenotype was also retained for 4 weeks in a murine subcutaneous
model. This widely applicable approach can facilitate translation of
cell-based therapies by instructing phenotype in situ without prolonged
induction or costly growth factors.