Disclosed are methods and compositions comprising fibroblasts and/or products derived thereof for the inhibition and/or treatment of addiction of any kind, such as opioid addiction. In some embodiments, methods comprise treating a patient addicted to opioids by administering a fibroblast population at a concentration sufficient for suppression of addiction-associated brain damage. In some embodiments, the fibroblasts express CD31 and/or CD73 markers. In some embodiments, fibroblasts are used to endow neuronal regeneration in order to overcome changes in the brain associated with addiction. Some embodiments relate to the stimulation of hippocampal regeneration subsequent to addiction induced damage.

Human pluripotent stem cells are differentiated in vitro into forebrain subdomain structures, which are then fused to generate an integrated system for use in analysis, screening programs, and the like.

Provided are an ink composition for bioprinting and a hydrogel formed therefrom, wherein the ink composition: a monomer or macromer having a photocurable functional group; and acrylic hyperbranched polyglycerol (AHPG).

Various embodiments disclosed relate to conductive graphene matrix-encapsulated cells. A matrix-encapsulated cell includes an encapsulating polymer matrix including a biopolymer and graphene. The matrix-encapsulated cell also includes one or more of the cells encapsulated within the encapsulating polymer, wherein the graphene directly contacts at least some of the cells. The matrix encapsulating the one or more cells is electrically conductive.

The present disclosure provides a method for preparing heterogeneous hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells using non-mobilized peripheral blood, which uses a capsule culture system to capture and proliferate rare hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in non-mobilized peripheral blood, and prepares heterogeneous hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell clones. The present disclosure captures the rare heterogeneous stem cells in non-mobilized peripheral blood and morphologically verifies the presence of heterogeneous hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in non-mobilized peripheral blood. The method of the present disclosure has the characteristics of hematopoietic reconstitution, drug development, transplantation and immunotherapy, gene editing of cell types, and the like. The method of the present disclosure provides a reliable cell source for patient-specific functional hematopoietic stem cells, and actively promotes the clinical application of non-mobilized hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

A system for producing an encapsulated cellular spheroid is disclosed. The system includes a source liquid reservoir containing a source liquid including a mixture of a living cell suspension and a liquid extracellular analog; a vertical solidification column containing a carrier liquid having a greater density than a density of the source liquid; and a source liquid injector in fluid communication with the source liquid reservoir and the vertical solidification column and being arranged to dispense droplets of the source liquid into a lower portion of the vertical solidification column, and heat to a temperature greater than a threshold temperature of the extracellular analog, wherein the liquid extracellular analog of the source liquid droplets irreversibly semi-solidifies at the temperature and encapsulates the living cell suspension within, such that living cells in the encapsulated living cell suspension adhere to one another in a spherical mass and form the encapsulated cellular spheroid.

The invention broadly provides an implantable medical device comprising a liquid rope coil scaffold. The implant may consist essentially of the scaffold, where the scaffold is the implant and pores in the scaffold may incorporates one or more agents (i.e. drugs, growth factors), or the scaffold may comprise only part of the medical device, for example an implant that is partly or fully covered with a layer of the scaffold. The porosity of the scaffold may be tailored to suit the application, for example a porosity that is tailored to hold and release drug or biological molecules in vivo, a porosity to provide a surface roughness that is conducive to promotion of in-vivo bio-integration (for example vascularisation) or prevention of fibrosis, or a porosity that provides structural strength. The scaffold may be essentially tubular, or may be provided as a planar structure, or may be any shape and can be used to coat, fully or partially any shape or size of medical implant.

A process for producing a 3D tissue culture model by (a) printing a drop of bio-ink to a substrate; (b) printing a drop of activator to the drop of bio-ink to form a hydrogel droplet; (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) in any order to form a hydrogel mold adapted to receive a drop containing cells; (d) printing a drop containing cells to the hydrogel mold; and (e) repeating steps (a) and (b) in any order to form a 3D tissue culture model comprising the cells encapsulated in the hydrogel mold.

Human pluripotent stem cells are differentiated in vitro into forebrain subdomain structures, which are then fused to generate an integrated system for use in analysis, screening programs, and the like.

Immunotolerant engineered human tissue constructs are provided that are suitable for implantation into subjects. In some embodiments, the immunotolerance is controllable by an inducible system. Methods of making and using the immunotolerant engineered tissue constructs are provided.