The invention relates to a method for improving angiogenic potential of a mesenchymal stem cell (MSC), the method comprising culturing the MSC on a substrate having stiffness of about 1 kPa to 100 kPa and coated with a matrix protein, wherein the MSC has improved angiogenic potential when compared with a MSC cultured under identical conditions except not cultured on a substrate having stiffness of about 1 kPa to 100 kPa and not coated with a matrix protein. The invention also relates to a MSC having angiogenic potential when improved by the method, and to therapeutic use of the improved MSC for treating coronary artery disease (CAD) or peripheral artery disease (PAD) in a subject having CAD or PAD.

In accordance with the method of the present invention, 3D tissue-derived scaffolding materials are made in various formats, including but not limited to hydrogel, sponge, fibers, microspheres, and films, all of which function to better preserve natural extracellular matrix molecules and to mimic the natural tissue environment, thereby effectively guiding tissue regeneration. The method involves incorporating a homogenized tissue-derived suspension into a polymeric solution of synthetic, natural, or hybrid polymers to prepare tissue-derived scaffolds in the aforementioned formats. Such tissue-derived scaffolds and scaffolding materials have a variety of utilities, including: the creation of 3D tissue models such as skin, bone, liver, pancreas, lung, and so on; facilitation of studies on cell-matrix interactions; and the fabrication of implantable scaffolding materials for guided tissue formation in vivo. The tissue-derived scaffolds and scaffolding materials made in accordance with the present invention also provide the opportunity to correlate the functions of extracellular matrix with tissue regeneration and cancer metastasis, for example.

Provided is a culture medium including fibers aligned in one direction, and a method for producing the same. The culture medium includes: a substrate; a frame body that includes a first surface, a second surface opposite therefrom, and one or more through holes extending from the first surface through the second surface, and that is mounted to the substrate such that the first surface is opposed thereto; a plurality of aligned fibers interposed between the substrate and the first surface; and a bonding portion that bonds the substrate, the plurality of aligned fibers, and the frame body, wherein at least a part of the plurality of aligned fibers is exposed from a first opening that is formed in the first surface by the through hole.

A conductive porous fabric can be formed, such as by using a template material. The porous fabric can be conductive, such as thick enough to be self-supporting, or supported such as by another structure. The porous fabric can be used in implantable or percutaneous applications, such as to provide an immunoisolation barrier. In another example, the fabric can be coupled to an electric potential, such as to facilitate gas evolution when the porous fabric is located in an aqueous medium. Such gas evolution can be used for various purposes, such as to maintain living cell viability by providing oxygen, or for self-cleaning. Illustrative examples of porous fabric materials include gold, platinum, palladium, iridium, niobium, or a form of carbon such as graphene.

Described herein is a beads-free bioprocessor as an automated and cost-effective T cell processing and manufacturing platform. T cells are a core component in CAR T cell therapies for cancer treatment, but are difficult to manufacture to scale in clinically relevant quantities. The 3D bioprocessor provides an alternative device that is scalable, beads-free, easy-to-use, and cost-effective for using CAR T cell therapy in cancer immunotherapy. Besides CAR T cell application, this platform technology has potential for many other applications such as cancer cell isolation.

The invention relates to culturing brain endothelial cells, and optionally astrocytes and neurons in a fluidic device under conditions whereby the cells mimic the structure and function of the blood brain barrier. Culture of such cells in a microfluidic device, whether alone or in combination with other cells, drives maturation and/or differentiation further than existing systems.

Provided are polymers, which may be crosslinked to form a main-chain liquid crystalline (LC) hydrogel with a three-dimensional network. Also provided are methods of using the hydrogel as a substrate for tissue culture. For example, the hydrogel may organize into LC phases and encapsulate a plurality of cells within its polymeric network. In some embodiments, human stem cells are cultured using the present method with good viability and demonstrate faster proliferation in the present LC hydrogel compared to a non-LC gel.

A plant fat-based scaffold for growing cell-based meat products for consumption. The scaffold comprises primarily plant fats or waxes in addition to cell binding proteins and optional additional components that assist in the growth of cultivated animal cells. The scaffold can exist in both a liquified state during sterilization and a solid state during the formation of the scaffold, the seeding of the cultivated cells, and the cellular growth phase. The scaffold is capable of remaining in the final product for consumption or is partially or completely melted out of the final product and recycled into raw material for forming new scaffolds.

A method is disclosed for coating and patterning hydrogels in order to modify surface properties. The method exploits the water content of the hydrogel and the hydrophobicity of the reaction solvent to create a thin oxide adhesion layer on the hydrogel surface. This oxide adhesion layer enables rapid transformation of the hydrophilic, cell non-adhesive hydrogel into either a highly hydrophobic or a cell-adhesive hydrogel by reaction with an alkylphosphonic acid or an α,ω-diphosphonoalkane, respectively. Also disclosed are coated, patterned hydrogels and constructs comprising the coated, patterned hydrogels.

A method for detecting oncogenic growth and viability, and/or degree of cellular transformation and/or identifying an agent that inhibits cellular transformation is disclosed. The method including: providing a cellular sample, such as a sample of cells obtained from a subject or a cell line; culturing the cellular sample in low attachment conditions; and detecting growth and7or cell viability of the sample, wherein increased growth relative and/or viability relative to a control or control level indicative of basal growth and/or viability indicates cellular transformation. In some embodiments, the method includes introducing a n expression vector into cells of the cellular sample, wherein the expression vector comprises a gene product expression sequence being tested for transformation ability. In some embodiments the cellular sample is contacted with a test agent and growth and/or cell viability of the sample is determined to determine if the agent inhibits transformation.