Methods for developing a decellularized tissue and biomaterials for use as biomimetic grafts or in vitro cellular scaffolds formed with the decellularized tissue are described. The biomaterials are particularly well suited for use as an intervertebral disc graft. The decellularized tissue is formed from an intervertebral disc source tissue and can be substantially decellularized and substantially free of potential immunogenic material (e.g., DNA and RNA), while maintaining ECM materials including both glycosaminoglycan and collagen.

The present invention relates to methods for removing antigens from tissues by sequentially destabilizing and/or depolymerizing cytoskeletal components and removing and/or reducing water-soluble antigens and lipid-soluble antigens. The invention further relates to tissue scaffolding and decellularized extracellular matrix produced by such methods.

A temperature-responsive substrate having on its surface a layer containing at least one polymer, the at least one polymer being responsive to temperature and containing a fluorine-containing monomer-derived unit. Also disclosed is a polymer and composition for use in producing the substrate, as well as methods for producing, using and evaluating the substrate.

Provided is a cell culture support, which is a support for attaching and culturing cells, and which includes: a fibrous web which is made by accumulating fibers of a biodegradable polymer and on which a plurality of pores are formed; and a plurality of beads formed on the fibers to secure spaces through which the cells penetrate into the fibrous web and grow therein.

Provided herein are compositions and methods for generating visible light photopolymerized hydrogels to support cell viability, expansion, and encapsulation. The present disclosure provides a composition, comprising a visible light harvesting complex, a photoinitiator, a co-initiator, a di-thiol-terminated crosslinker, and at least one cysteine-containing peptide. The present disclosure provides a method of generating a visible light photopolymerized hydrogel. In further embodiments that method comprises generating a 3-dimensional endothelial network comprising the visible light photopolymerized hydrogel. In additional embodiments the method comprises generating a hydrogel network comprising the visible light photopolymerized hydrogel comprising at least one cell.

Provided is a method of manufacturing a cell culture support having improved cell adhesion and mobility. The method includes: mixing a hydrophilic polymer, a hydrophobic polymer and a solvent to prepare an electro-spinning solution having a viscosity from 50 cps to 2000 cps; electro-spinning the electro-spinning solution to form polymer fibers having beads formed on each of the fibers; accumulating the polymer fibers to form a fibrous web having pores; and penetrating a culture solution into the pores of the fibrous web. The beads have a diameter larger than that of the polymer fibers.

The present disclosure provides methods in which adherent cells are treated with small molecules, cultured, lysed, and then analyzed by mass spectrometry to measure the activities of endogenous enzymes. The implementation of this method relies on the use of surfaces that are nanopatterned with cell adhesion ligands to mediate cell attachment and a peptide that is a substrate for the desired enzyme activity in the lysate.

The method of culturing cells disclosed herein includes printing cells onto a substrate that includes cell adhesive regions and cell repulsive regions. The cells are suspended in a printing medium to create a cell suspension, and a volume of the cell suspension is loaded into a printer. A cell adhesive region of the substrate is aligned beneath the printing channel of the printer, and droplets of the cell suspension are dispensed from the printing channel directly onto the cell adhesive region. Contact of the dispensed droplets with cell repulsive regions of the substrate is limited, either by targeting of the droplets to the cell adhesive regions, by repulsions generated by the cell repulsive areas, or both. The cells adhere to the cell adhesive regions to create a cell pattern, and are maintained thereafter in a physiologically suitable environment.

The present invention provides novel methods for poling piezoelectric materials, e.g., collagen, which are carried out in the absence of liquid media and at a relatively low temperature. The present invention also provides electroactive scaffolds comprising poled collagen for promoting cell growth and differentiation.

An example genetically engineered electrically-stimulated (ES) cell comprises an exogenous polynucleotide sequence that includes an electrical-sensor element, an actuator element, and an effector element. The electrical-sensor element encodes a voltage-gated calcium ion channel (CaV), wherein the CaV is configured to transition from a closed state to an open state in response to stimulation. The actuator element encodes a transcription factor binding site that upregulates synthesis of an effector protein. The effector element encodes the effector protein, wherein, in response to the transition of the CaV to the open state, the genetically engineered ES effector cell is configured to activate and, to synthesize and secrete the effector protein.