Extracellular matrix modulates T cell clearance of malignant cells in vitro.

Despite the success of T cell checkpoint therapies, breast cancers rarely express these immunotherapy markers and are believed to be largely "immune cold" with limited inflammation and immune activation. The reason for this limited immune activation remains poorly understood. We sought to determine whether extracellular matrix substrate could contribute to this limited immune activation. Specifically, we asked whether extracellular matrix could alter T cell cytotoxicity against malignant mammary gland carcinoma cells (MCC) in a setup designed to promote maximal T cell efficacy (i.e., rich media with abundant IL2, high ratio of T cells to MCC). We observed that T cell clearance of MCC varied from 0% in collagen 4 or 6 conditions to almost 100% in fibronectin or vitronectin. Transcriptomics revealed that T cell function was defective in MCC/T cell cocultures on collagen 4 (Col4), potentially corresponding to greater expression of cytokines MCC cultured in this environment. In contrast, transcriptomics revealed an effective, exhausted phenotype on vitronectin. The observation that Col4 induces T cell suppression suggests that targeting tumor-ECM interactions may permit new approaches for utilizing immunotherapy in tumors which do not provoke a strong immune response.

Performance of three-dimensional printed nasopharyngeal swabs for COVID-19 testing.

ABSTRACT: At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US faced nationwide shortages of nasopharyngeal swabs due to both overwhelmed supply chains and an increase in demand. To address this shortfall, multiple 3D printed swabs were ultimately produced and sold for COVID-19 testing. In this work, we present a framework for mechanical and functional bench-testing of nasopharyngeal swabs using standard and widely available material testing equipment. Using this framework, we offer a comprehensive, quantitative comparison of the 3D printed swabs to benchmark their performance against traditional flocked swabs. The test protocols were designed to emulate the clinical use of the nasopharyngeal swabs and to evaluate potential failure modes. Overall, the 3D printed swabs performed comparably to, or outperformed, the traditional swabs in all mechanical tests. While traditional swabs outperformed some of the new 3D printed swabs in terms of sample uptake and retention, similar amounts of RNA were recovered from both 3D printed and traditional swabs.

Go with the flow: modeling unique biological flows in engineered in vitro platforms.

Interest in recapitulating in vivo phenomena in vitro using organ-on-a-chip technology has grown rapidly and with it, attention to the types of fluid flow experienced in the body has followed suit. These platforms offer distinct advantages over in vivo models with regards to human relevance, cost, and control of inputs (e.g., controlled manipulation of biomechanical cues from fluid perfusion). Given the critical role biophysical forces play in several tissues and organs, it is therefore imperative that engineered in vitro platforms capture the complex, unique flow profiles experienced in the body that are intimately tied with organ function. In this review, we outline the complex and unique flow regimes experienced by three different organ systems: blood vasculature, lymphatic vasculature, and the intestinal system. We highlight current state-of-the-art platforms that strive to replicate physiological flows within engineered tissues while introducing potential limitations in current approaches.

Projection Microstereolithographic Microbial Bioprinting for Engineered Biofilms.

Microbes are critical drivers of all ecosystems and many biogeochemical processes, yet little is known about how the three-dimensional (3D) organization of these dynamic organisms contributes to their overall function. To probe how biofilm structure affects microbial activity, we developed a technique for patterning microbes in 3D geometries using projection stereolithography to bioprint microbes within hydrogel architectures. Bacteria were printed and monitored for biomass accumulation, demonstrating postprint viability of cells using this technique. We verified our ability to integrate biological and geometric complexity by fabricating a printed biofilm with two E. coli strains expressing different fluorescence. Finally, we examined the target application of microbial absorption of metal ions to investigate geometric effects on both the metal sequestration efficiency and the uranium sensing capability of patterned engineered Caulobacter crescentus strains. This work represents the first demonstration of the stereolithographic printing of microbials and presents opportunities for future work of engineered biofilms and other complex 3D structured cultures.

Investigating the Interaction Between Circulating Tumor Cells and Local Hydrodynamics via Experiment and Simulations.

INTRODUCTION: The biological and mechanical properties of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in combination with the hemodynamics affect the preference of metastatic sites in the vasculature. Despite the extensive literature on the effects of biological properties on cell adhesion, the effects of hydrodynamic forces on primary attachment remains an active area of research. Using simulations in conjunction with experimentation, we provide new insight into the interplay of CTCs dynamics and local hydrodynamics. METHODS: A flow experiment of CTC attachment was performed within a bioprinted, double branching endothelialized vessel. Simulations of fluid flow and CTC transport in the reconstructed and idealized bifurcated vessel were respectively performed by HARVEY, our in-house massively parallel computational fluid dynamics solver. HARVEY is based on the lattice Boltzmann and finite element methods to model the fluid and cells dynamics. The immersed boundary method is employed for resolving the fluid-structure interaction. RESULTS: CTC attachment was quantified experimentally at all regions of the complex vessel. The results demonstrate a clear preference for CTCs to attach at the branch points. To elucidate the effect of the vessel topology on the location of attachment, a fluid-only simulation was performed assessing the differences in the hydrodynamics along the vessel. CTC transport in idealized bifurcated vessels was subsequently studied to examine the effects of cell deformability on the local hydrodynamics patterns and, thus, the preference of attachment sites. CONCLUSIONS: The current work provides evidence on the correlation of the hydrodynamics forces arising from the vessel topology and CTC properties on the attachment regions.

Three-dimensional bioprinting of aneurysm-bearing tissue structure for endovascular deployment of embolization coils.

Various types of embolization devices have been developed for the treatment of cerebral aneurysms. However, it is challenging to properly evaluate device performance and train medical personnel for device deployment without the aid of functionally relevant models. Currentin vitroaneurysm models suffer from a lack of key functional and morphological features of brain vasculature that limit their applicability for these purposes. These features include the physiologically relevant mechanical properties and the dynamic cellular environment of blood vessels subjected to constant fluid flow. Herein, we developed three-dimensionally (3D) printed aneurysm-bearing vascularized tissue structures using gelatin-fibrin hydrogel of which the inner vessel walls were seeded with human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (hCMECs). The hCMECs readily exhibited cellular attachment, spreading, and confluency all around the vessel walls, including the aneurysm walls. Additionally, thein vitroplatform was directly amenable to flow measurements via particle image velocimetry, enabling the direct assessment of the vascular flow dynamics for comparison to a 3D computational fluid dynamics model. Detachable coils were delivered into the printed aneurysm sac through the vessel using a microcatheter and static blood plasma clotting was monitored inside the aneurysm sac and around the coils. This biomimeticin vitroaneurysm model is a promising method for examining the biocompatibility and hemostatic efficiency of embolization devices and for providing hemodynamic information which would aid in predicting aneurysm rupture or healing response after treatment.

Macromolecular gelatin properties affect fibrin microarchitecture and tumor spheroid behavior in fibrin-gelatin gels.

The biophysical properties of extracellular matrices (ECM) are known to regulate cell behavior, however decoupling cell behavior changes due to the relative contributions of material microstructure versus biomechanics or nutrient permeability remains challenging, especially within complex, multi-material matrices. We developed four gelatin-fibrin interpenetrating network (IPN) formulations which are identical in composition but possess variable gelatin molecular weight distributions, and display differences in microstructure, biomechanics, and diffusivity. In this work we interrogate the response of multicellular tumor spheroids to these IPN formulations and found that a high stiffness, gelatin-network dominated IPNs impeded remodeling and invasion of multicellular tumor spheroids; whereas relatively lower stiffness, fibrin-network dominated IPNs permitted protease-dependent remodeling and spheroid invasion. Cell proliferation correlated to nutrient diffusivity across tested IPN formulations. These findings demonstrate the complexity of ECM IPNs, relative to single polymer matrices, and highlight that cell response does not derive from a single aspect of the ECM, but rather from the interplay of multiple biomechanical properties. The methodology developed here represents a framework for future studies which aim to characterize cellular phenotypic responses to biophysical cues present within complex, multi-material matrices.

Comparative Molecular Analysis of Cancer Behavior Cultured In Vitro, In Vivo, and Ex Vivo.

Current pre-clinical models of cancer fail to recapitulate the cancer cell behavior in primary tumors primarily because of the lack of a deeper understanding of the effects that the microenvironment has on cancer cell phenotype. Transcriptomic profiling of 4T1 murine mammary carcinoma cells from 2D and 3D cultures, subcutaneous or orthotopic allografts (from immunocompetent or immunodeficient mice), as well as ex vivo tumoroids, revealed differences in molecular signatures including altered expression of genes involved in cell cycle progression, cell signaling and extracellular matrix remodeling. The 3D culture platforms had more in vivo-like transcriptional profiles than 2D cultures. In vivo tumors had more cells undergoing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) while in vitro cultures had cells residing primarily in an epithelial or mesenchymal state. Ex vivo tumoroids incorporated aspects of in vivo and in vitro culturing, retaining higher abundance of cells undergoing EMT while shifting cancer cell fate towards a more mesenchymal state. Cellular heterogeneity surveyed by scRNA-seq revealed that ex vivo tumoroids, while rapidly expanding cancer and fibroblast populations, lose a significant proportion of immune components. This study emphasizes the need to improve in vitro culture systems and preserve syngeneic-like tumor composition by maintaining similar EMT heterogeneity as well as inclusion of stromal subpopulations.

A Reconfigurable In Vitro Model for Studying the Blood-Brain Barrier.

Much of what is currently known about the role of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in regulating the passage of chemicals from the blood stream to the central nervous system (CNS) comes from animal in vivo models (requiring extrapolation to human relevance) and 2D static in vitro systems, which fail to capture the rich cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions of the dynamic 3D in vivo tissue microenvironment. In this work we have developed a BBB platform that allows for a high degree of customization in cellular composition, cellular orientation, and physiologically-relevant fluid dynamics. The system characterized and presented in this study reproduces key characteristics of a BBB model (e.g. tight junctions, efflux pumps) allowing for the formation of a selective and functional barrier. We demonstrate that our in vitro BBB is responsive to both biochemical and mechanical cues. This model further allows for culture of a CNS-like space around the BBB. The design of this platform is a valuable tool for studying BBB function as well as for screening of novel therapeutics.

Optimizing cell encapsulation condition in ECM-Collagen I hydrogels to support 3D neuronal cultures.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of three-dimensional (3D) cell culture in neural tissue engineering has significantly elevated the complexity and relevance of in vitro systems. This is due in large part to the incorporation of biomaterials to impart structural dimensionality on the neuronal cultures. However, a comprehensive understanding of how key seeding parameters affect changes in cell distribution and viability remain unreported. NEW METHOD: In this study, we systematically evaluated permutations in seeding conditions (i.e., cell concentration and atmospheric CO2 levels) to understand how these affect key parameters in 3D culture characterization (i.e., cell health and distribution). Primary rat cortical neurons (i.e., 2 × 106, 4 × 106, and 1 × 107 cells/mL) were entrapped in collagen blended with ECM proteins (ECM-Collagen) and exposed to atmospheric CO2 (i.e., 0 vs 5% CO2) during fibrillogenesis. RESULTS: At 14 days in vitro (DIV), cell distribution within the hydrogel was dependent on cell concentration and atmospheric CO2 during fibrillogenesis. A uniform distribution of cells was observed in cultures with 2 × 106 and 4 × 106 cells/mL in the presence of 5% CO2, while a heterogeneous distribution was observed in cultures with 1 × 107 cells/mL or in the absence of CO2. Furthermore, increased cell concentration was proportional to the rise in cell death at 14 DIV, although cells remain viable >30 DIV. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: ECM-Collagen gels have been shown to increase cell viability of neurons long-term. CONCLUSION: In using ECM-collagen gels, we highlight the importance of optimizing seeding parameters and thorough 3D culture characterization to understand the neurophysiological responses of these 3D systems.

Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Endothelial Cells for Three-Dimensional Microphysiological Systems.

Microphysiological systems (MPS), or "organ-on-a-chip" platforms, aim to recapitulate in vivo physiology using small-scale in vitro tissue models of human physiology. While significant efforts have been made to create vascularized tissues, most reports utilize primary endothelial cells that hinder reproducibility. In this study, we report the use of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived endothelial cells (iPS-ECs) in developing three-dimensional (3D) microvascular networks. We established a CDH5-mCherry reporter iPS cell line, which expresses the vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin fused to mCherry. The iPS-ECs demonstrate physiological functions characteristic of primary endothelial cells in a series of in vitro assays, including permeability, response to shear stress, and the expression of endothelial markers (CD31, von Willibrand factor, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase). The iPS-ECs form stable, perfusable microvessels over the course of 14 days when cultured within 3D microfluidic devices. We also demonstrate that inhibition of TGF-ß signaling improves vascular network formation by the iPS-ECs. We conclude that iPS-ECs can be a source of endothelial cells in MPS providing opportunities for human disease modeling and improving the reproducibility of 3D vascular networks.

Microfluidic device to control interstitial flow-mediated homotypic and heterotypic cellular communication.

Tissue engineering can potentially recreate in vivo cellular microenvironments in vitro for an array of applications such as biological inquiry and drug discovery. However, the majority of current in vitro systems still neglect many biological, chemical, and mechanical cues that are known to impact cellular functions such as proliferation, migration, and differentiation. To address this gap, we have developed a novel microfluidic device that precisely controls the spatial and temporal interactions between adjacent three-dimensional cellular environments. The device consists of four interconnected microtissue compartments (~0.1 mm(3)) arranged in a square. The top and bottom pairs of compartments can be sequentially loaded with discrete cellularized hydrogels creating the opportunity to investigate homotypic (left to right or x-direction) and heterotypic (top to bottom or y-direction) cell-cell communication. A controlled hydrostatic pressure difference across the tissue compartments in both x and y direction induces interstitial flow and modulates communication via soluble factors. To validate the biological significance of this novel platform, we examined the role of stromal cells in the process of vasculogenesis. Our device confirms previous observations that soluble mediators derived from normal human lung fibroblasts (NHLFs) are necessary to form a vascular network derived from endothelial colony forming cell-derived endothelial cells (ECFC-ECs). We conclude that this platform could be used to study important physiological and pathological processes that rely on homotypic and heterotypic cell-cell communication.

Integrating in vitro organ-specific function with the microcirculation.

There is significant interest within the tissue engineering and pharmaceutical industries to create 3D microphysiological systems of human organ function. The interest stems from a growing concern that animal models and simple 2D culture systems cannot replicate essential features of human physiology that are critical to predict drug response, or simply to develop new therapeutic strategies to repair or replace damaged organs. Central to human organ function is a microcirculation that not only enhances the rate of nutrient and waste transport by convection, but also provides essential additional physiological functions that can be specific to each organ. This review highlights progress in the creation of in vitro functional microvessel networks, and emphasizes organ-specific functional and structural characteristics that should be considered in the future mimicry of four organ systems that are of primary interest: lung, brain, liver, and muscle (skeletal and cardiac).

Microfluidic device to culture 3D in vitro human capillary networks.

Models that aim to recapitulate the dynamic in vivo features of the microcirculation are crucial for studying vascularization. Cells in vivo respond not only to biochemical cues (e.g., growth factor gradients) but also sense mechanical cues (e.g., interstitial flow, vessel perfusion). Integrating the response of cells, the stroma, and the circulation in a dynamic 3D setting will create an environment suitable for the exploration of many fundamental vascularization processes. Here in this chapter, we describe an in vivo-inspired microenvironment that is conducive to the development of perfused human capillaries.

FGF-1 delivery from multilayer alginate microbeads stimulates a rapid and persistent increase in vascular density.

In recent years, great advances have been made in the use of islet transplantation as a treatment for type I diabetes. Indeed, it is possible that stimulation of local neovascularization upon transplantation could improve functional graft outcomes. In the present study, we investigate the use of multilayered alginate microbeads to provide a sustained delivery of FGF-1, and whether this results in increased neovascularization in vivo. Multilayered alginate microbeads, loaded with either 150ng or 600ng of FGF-1 in the outer layer, were surgically implanted into rats using an omentum pouch model and compared to empty microbead implants. Rats were sacrificed at 4days, 1week, and 6weeks. Staining for CD31 showed that both conditions of FGF-1 loaded microbeads resulted in a significantly higher vessel density at all time points studied. Moreover, at 6weeks, alginate microbeads containing 600ng FGF-1 provided a greater vascular density compared to both the control group and the microbeads loaded with 150ng FGF-1. Omenta analyzed via staining for smooth muscle alpha actin showed no variation in mural cell density at either 4days or 1week. At 6weeks, however, omenta exposed to microbeads loaded with 600ng FGF-1 showed an increase in mural cell staining compared to controls. These results suggest that the sustained delivery of FGF-1 from multilayered alginate microbeads results in a rapid and persistent vascular response. An increase in the local blood supply could reduce the number of islets required for transplantation in order to achieve clinical efficacy.

A microfluidic platform for generating large-scale nearly identical human microphysiological vascularized tissue arrays.

This paper reports a polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic model system that can develop an array of nearly identical human microtissues with interconnected vascular networks. The microfluidic system design is based on an analogy with an electric circuit, applying resistive circuit concepts to design pressure dividers in serially-connected microtissue chambers. A long microchannel (550, 620 and 775 mm) creates a resistive circuit with a large hydraulic resistance. Two media reservoirs with a large cross-sectional area and of different heights are connected to the entrance and exit of the long microchannel to serve as a pressure source, and create a near constant pressure drop along the long microchannel. Microtissue chambers (0.12 µl) serve as a two-terminal resistive component with an input impedance >50-fold larger than the long microchannel. Connecting each microtissue chamber to two different positions along the long microchannel creates a series of pressure dividers. Each microtissue chamber enables a controlled pressure drop of a segment of the microchannel without altering the hydrodynamic behaviour of the microchannel. The result is a controlled and predictable microphysiological environment within the microchamber. Interstitial flow, a mechanical cue for stimulating vasculogenesis, was verified by finite element simulation and experiments. The simplicity of this design enabled the development of multiple microtissue arrays (5, 12, and 30 microtissues) by co-culturing endothelial cells, stromal cells, and fibrin within the microchambers over two and three week periods. This methodology enables the culturing of a large array of microtissues with interconnected vascular networks for biological studies and applications such as drug development.

In vitro perfused human capillary networks.

Replicating in vitro the complex in vivo tissue microenvironment has the potential to transform our approach to medicine and also our understanding of biology. In order to accurately model the 3D arrangement and interaction of cells and extracellular matrix, new microphysiological systems must include a vascular supply. The vasculature not only provides the necessary convective transport of oxygen, nutrients, and waste in 3D culture, but also couples and integrates the responses of organ systems. Here we combine tissue engineering and microfluidic technology to create an in vitro 3D metabolically active stroma (∼1 mm(3)) that, for the first time, contains a perfused, living, dynamic, interconnected human capillary network. The range of flow rate (µm/s) and shear rate (s(-1)) within the network was 0-4000 and 0-1000, respectively, and thus included the normal physiological range. Infusion of FITC dextran demonstrated microvessels (15-50 µm) to be largely impermeable to 70 kDa. Our high-throughput biology-directed platform has the potential to impact a broad range of fields that intersect with the microcirculation, including tumor metastasis, drug discovery, vascular disease, and environmental chemical toxicity.

Full range physiological mass transport control in 3D tissue cultures.

We report the first demonstration of a microfluidic platform that captures the full physiological range of mass transport in 3-D tissue culture. The basis of our method used long microfluidic channels connected to both sides of a central microtissue chamber at different downstream positions to control the mass transport distribution within the chamber. Precise control of the Péclet number (Pe), defined as the ratio of convective to diffusive transport, over nearly five orders of magnitude (0.0056 to 160) was achieved. The platform was used to systematically investigate the role of physiological mass transport on vasculogenesis. We demonstrate, for the first time, that vasculogenesis can be independently stimulated by interstitial flow (Pe > 10) or hypoxic conditions (Pe < 0.1), and not by the intermediate state (normal living tissue). This simple platform can be applied to physiological and biological studies of 3D living tissue followed by pathological disease studies, such as cancer research and drug screening.

Generation of alginate microspheres for biomedical applications.

Alginate-based materials have received considerable attention for biomedical applications because of their hydrophilic nature, biocompatibility, and physical architecture. Applications include cell encapsulation, drug delivery, stem cell culture, and tissue engineering scaffolds. In fact, clinical trials are currently being performed in which islets are encapsulated in PLO coated alginate microbeads as a treatment of type I diabetes. However, large numbers of islets are required for efficacy due to poor survival following transplantation. The ability to locally stimulate microvascular network formation around the encapsulated cells may increase their viability through improved transport of oxygen, glucose and other vital nutrients. Fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF-1) is a naturally occurring growth factor that is able to stimulate blood vessel formation and improve oxygen levels in ischemic tissues. The efficacy of FGF-1 is enhanced when it is delivered in a sustained fashion rather than a single large-bolus administration. The local long-term release of growth factors from islet encapsulation systems could stimulate the growth of blood vessels directly towards the transplanted cells, potentially improving functional graft outcomes. In this article, we outline procedures for the preparation of alginate microspheres for use in biomedical applications. In addition, we describe a method we developed for generating multilayered alginate microbeads. Cells can be encapsulated in the inner alginate core, and angiogenic proteins in the outer alginate layer. The release of proteins from this outer layer would stimulate the formation of local microvascular networks directly towards the transplanted islets.

Stability of alginate microbead properties in vitro.

Alginate microbeads have been investigated clinically for a number of therapeutic interventions, including drug delivery for treatment of ischemic tissues, cell delivery for tissue regeneration, and islet encapsulation as a therapy for type I diabetes. The physical properties of the microbeads play an important role in regulating cell behavior, protein release, and biological response following implantation. In this research alginate microbeads were synthesized, varying composition (mannuronic acid to guluronic acid ratio), concentration of alginate and needle gauge size. Following synthesis, the size, volume fraction, and morphometry of the beads were quantified. In addition, these properties were monitored over time in vitro in the presence of varying calcium levels in the microenvironment. The initial volume available for solute diffusion increased with alginate concentration and mannuronic (M) acid content, and bead diameter decreased with M content but increased with needle diameter. Interestingly, microbeads eroded completely in saline in less than 3 weeks regardless of synthesis conditions much faster than what has been observed in vivo. However, microbead stability was increased by the addition of calcium in the culture medium. Beads synthesized with low alginate concentration and high G content exhibited a more rapid change in physical properties even in the presence of calcium. These data suggest that temporal variations in the physical characteristics of alginate microbeads can occur in vitro depending on synthesis conditions and microbead environment. The results presented here will assist in optimizing the design of the materials for clinical application in drug delivery and cell therapy.