The presently disclosed subject matter provides a biomimetic organ model, and methods of its production and use. In one exemplary embodiment, the biomimetic organ model can be a multi-layer model including a at least two microchannels and at least one chamber slab with at least one membrane coated with cells disposed between at least one microchannel and the at least one chamber slab. In another exemplary embodiment, the biomimetic organ disease model can be a five-layer model including a first and second microchannel with a membrane-gel layer-membrane coated or encompassing cells disposed between the microchannels. In certain embodiments, at least one device can be coupled to the biomimetic organ model that delivers an agent to at least one microchannel.

Novel self-assembling pentapeptides and peptides containing such self-assembling pentapeptides, self-assembled hydrogels, and methods of making and using the same are described. These pentapeptides, and peptides containing such pentapeptides, self-assemble under physiological conditions (e.g., in a physiological buffer under biologically acceptable conditions (e.g., pH≈6-11)) into long fibrils with sequence-dependent fibrillary morphologies. The hydrogels comprise one or more these pentapeptides which make up the 3-dimensional nanofibrous network of the hydrogel structure. The hydrogels are shear-thinning hydrogels that have high storage moduli and high rates of recovery after destruction. These hydrogels are useful in various applications, including but not limited to, scaffolds for tissue engineering, 2-dimensional (2-D) and 3-dimensional (3-D) cell cultures, drug delivery and encapsulation of therapeutic agents (cells, molecules, drugs, compounds), injectables (including those that gel in situ, such as hemostatic compositions), hemostatic agents, wound dressings, pharmaceutical carriers or vehicles, cell transplantation, cell storage, virus culture, and virus storage.

In some aspects, described herein are cell culture media that are useful for in vitro culture of mammalian cells. The culture media contain a variety of small organic compounds that are found in normal adult human blood. Also described are methods of using the culture media for a variety of purposes. Also described are methods of treating cancer.

In one embodiment, the present application discloses a cell culture medium for culturing cell lines suitable for producing a therapeutic protein, comprising an amino acid selected from a group consisting of L-arginine, L-asparagine, L-proline, L leucine and L hydroxyproline and a mixture thereof; a vitamin selected from a group consisting of ascorbic acid Mg.sup.2+ salt, biotin, pyridoxine HCL, folic acid, riboflavin and D-calcium pantothenate, and a mixture thereof; an element selected from a group consisting of ammonium meta vanadate, sodium meta vanadate, germanium dioxide, barium acetate, aluminum chloride, rubidium chloride, cadmium chloride, ammonium molybedate, stannous chloride, cobalt chloride, chromium sulfate, silver nitrate, sodium metasilicate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate H.sub.2O, manganous chloride, ferric nitrate 9H.sub.2O, ferrous sulfate 7H.sub.2O, ferric ammonium citrate, magnesium chloride anhydrous, and magnesium sulfate anhydrous, and a mixture thereof; a nucleoside selected from a group consisting of uridine and cystidine; a sugar selected from a group consisting of galactose, mannose and N-Acetyl-D-Mannosamine; and a triple buffering system comprising sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and HEPES; wherein the cell culture medium is animal component-free, plant component-free, serum-free, growth factors-free, recombinant protein-free, lipid-free, steroid-free, and free of plant or animal hydrolysates and/or extracts.

The invention provides non-naturally occurring microbial organisms containing caprolactone pathways having at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a butadiene pathway enzyme expressed in a sufficient amount to produce caprolactone. The invention additionally provides methods of using such microbial organisms to produce caprolactone by culturing a non-naturally occurring microbial organism containing caprolactone pathways as described herein under conditions and for a sufficient period of time to produce caprolactone.

Functionalized zwitterionic and mixed charge polymers and copolymers, methods for making the polymers and copolymers, hydrogels prepared from the functionalized zwitterionic and mixed charge polymers and copolymers, methods for making and using the hydrogels, and zwitterionic and mixed charge polymers and copolymers for administration for therapeutic agents.

The invention relates to a process for improving the solubility of dry cell culture media. Some dry powder cell culture media show poor dissolving properties and result in turbid solutions when they are dissolved in aqueous solutions. Using a stepwise procedure in which the amino acids present in the non-dissolving part are identified and added to a new batch in other particle sizes significantly reduces that problem.

The present invention relates to oligopeptide-free cell culture media comprising at least 0.5 mg/L of a polyamine and to methods for cultivating cells in said oligopeptide-free cell culture media comprising at least 0.5 mg/L of a polyamine. The invention also relates to methods for expressing at least one protein in a medium comprising at least 0.5 mg/L of a polyamine and to methods for producing at least one virus in a medium comprising at least 0.5 mg/L of a polyamine.

A system and method for growing and maintaining biological material including producing a protein associated with the tissue, selecting cells associated with the tissue, expanding the cells, creating at least one tissue bio-ink including the expanded cells, printing the at least one tissue bio-ink in at least one tissue growth medium mixture, growing the tissue from the printed at least one tissue bio-ink, and maintaining viability of the tissue.

The present disclosure provides a composition comprising a bioactive fraction derived from a platelet concentrate, methods of making the bioactive fraction, and culture medium supplemented with the bioactive fraction. Preferred bioactive fractions have relatively low fibrinogen concentrations while retaining native growth factors in beneficial amounts and ratios.