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.

A method for producing a cell population containing liver progenitor cells, including the steps of (1) preparing a culture substratum containing a cell population comprising liver progenitor cells and fibroblasts, (2) physically removing the fibroblast colony from the culture substratum, (3) detaching cells from the culture substratum, and recovering the detached cells, and (4) culturing the cells recovered in the step (3) on a collagen-coated culture substratum, and recovering the cells not adhered to the culture substratum is provided by the present invention.

Compositions and methods of transplanting cells by grafting strategies into solid organs (especially internal organs) are provided. These methods and compositions can be used to repair diseased organs or to establish models of disease states in experimental hosts. The method involves attachment onto the surface of a tissue or organ, a patch graft, a bandaid-like covering, containing epithelial cells with supporting early lineage stage mesenchymal cells. The cells are incorporated into soft gel-forming biomaterials prepared under serum-free, defined conditions comprised of nutrients, lipids, vitamins, and regulatory signals that collectively support stemness of the donor cells. The graft is covered with a biodegradable, biocompatible, bioresorbable backing used to affix the graft to the target site. The cells in the graft migrate into and throughout the tissue such that within a couple of weeks they are uniformly dispersed within the recipient (host) tissue. The mechanisms by which engraftment and integration of donor cells into the organ or tissue involve multiple membrane-associated and secreted forms of MMPs.

Bioinspired adhesives comprising a macromolecule such as zein and one or more catechol- or gallol-containing compounds are provided. The adhesive can also comprise an iron crosslinker, an interfacial crosslinker, or both an iron crosslinker and an interfacial crosslinker. Methods of manufacturing and using the adhesive are also provided.

A fish liver decellularized extracellular matrix based microfluidic 3D printing hydrogel for liver regeneration, and a preparation method thereof are provided. A fish liver decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) is combined with gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA), and loaded with hepatic spheroids derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-hep) for liver regeneration. The fish liver decellularized extracellular matrix based microfluidic 3D printing hydrogel of the present disclosure has excellent biocompatibility and retains intact endogenous growth factors, maintains the biological activity of cells, ensures effective cell encapsulation, and is conducive to robust functional expression of iPSC-hep. After being transplanted in vivo, the hydrogel significantly improves the survival rate and liver function of mice with acute liver failure, and promotes liver regeneration and repair.