A three-dimensional (3D) cell culture system comprising: a solid porous polymeric support, preferably comprising a biocompatible polymer; a first type of cells bound to the solid porous polymeric support; and a biocompatible hydrogel comprising a second type of cells, wherein biocompatible hydrogel is in physical contact with the solid porous polymeric support, is described. Methods for preparing this 3D cell culture system, as well as uses of this system for example for anticancer drug screening, are also described.

Provided is a 3D human liver organ model constructing method, comprising: preparing human primary liver cells, or mixed cells of same and liver non-parenchymal cells, or human liver cancer cell lines into a single cell suspension, and mixing the single cell suspension with a matrix material to obtain a mixed cell suspension; inoculating the mixed cell suspension into cultivation micropores of a 3D organ-on-a-chip, and carrying out cultivation at 37° C. to obtain a gelled 3D organ-on-a-chip; adding a culture medium into liquid storage holes of the organ-on-a-chip, and carrying out cultivation to obtain a 3D human liver organ model. Compared with other 2D human liver organ models, the constructed 3D human liver organ model has significantly enhanced response sensitivity to hepatotoxic drugs, and shows stronger hepatotoxic damage effect for reported hepatotoxic drugs. Compared with an animal model, the 3D human liver organ model can effectively eliminate the screening difference caused by species difference.

The invention provides tissue culture system for primary cells (e.g. normal mammalian primary epithelial progenitors). This system includes: a) a serum-free, chemically defined cell culture media; and, b) methods for isolation and in vitro long-term propagation of primary cells (e.g. primary epithelial cells). Primary cells so isolated and cultured can be kept undifferentiated and proliferate for many weeks (>15 weeks) or population doubling (>35 PD) without senescence, or any detectable genetic alterations. Upon changing media/culture conditions, these cells can be induced to differentiate. The invention also provides methods to transform normal primary cells so cultured into “cancer stem cells.” The genetically defined cancer stem cell tumor model mimics the behavior of the disease closely, e.g., the cells are invasive, hormone responsive and metastatic when injected into mice. The tumor cells express genes that are specific to cancer stem cells identified in patient samples.

A developmental toxicity screening assay using spatially organized cardiac organoids with contracting cardiomyocytes in the center surrounded by stromal cells distributed along the pattern perimeter engineered from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Cardiac organoids generated from 600 μm-diameter circles were used as a developmental toxicity screening assay for the quantification of the embryotoxic potential of nine pharmaceutical compounds. The cardiac organoids were demonstrated as having a potential use as an in vitro platform for studying organoid structure-function relationships, developmental processes, and drug-induced cardiac developmental toxicity.

A material for culturing cells is disclosed. The material contains a bulk-modified elastomer having a Shore hardness (DIN EN ISO 868) in a range of Shore00 20 to Shore A 80 and comprising a plurality of fatty acid moieties covalently bound to the elastomer bulk, wherein the carboxylic acid groups of said moieties are available on an external surface of said material to provide said binding, and wherein the bulk-modified elastomer is obtained by forming a composition comprising a vinyl-functionalized or a hydride-functionalized elastomer or at least one precursor thereof, a free of saponified unsaturated fatty acid in a range of 0.5-5% by weight of the total weight of the a vinyl-functionalized or a hydride-functionalized elastomer or at least one precursor thereof and a cross-linking catalyst in a mold having a polar inner surface; and bulk-modifying the vinyl-functionalized or the hydride-functionalized elastomer by covalently binding the free or saponified unsaturated fatty acid to the elastomer bulk in said mold by a cross-linking reaction between a vinyl group or a hydride group of the elastomer and an unsaturated carbon-carbon bond of the unsaturated fatty acid to obtain the material. Also disclosed are a fluidic device module and fluidic device, a cell culturing method and a drug testing method.

The present disclosure provides systems for growing and, modeling lung cells in organoid cultures and methods of using same.

Provided herein are recombinant cardiomyocytes and cardiomyocyte cell lines expressing human Ether-a-go-go Related Gene (hERG) potassium ion channel, including, for example, stable cell lines, that comprise a transfected or transduced nucleic acid sequence encoding hERG. Also provided herein are methods of using the recombinant cardiomyocytes and cardiomyocyte cell lines expressing hERG for screening compounds for cardiotoxicity, including methods for determining the activity of compounds to inhibit hERG.

Provided herein are high-throughput methods for genetic barcoding and analysis, e.g., for tagging each biomaterial apsule with a barcode cell. These barcode cells are derived from patient samples, and thus embody natural human genetic variation. Also provided are SNP panels that can be used as genetic barcodes to identify the identity of a cell.

The present invention is directed to a system including neurons over-expressing UBB+1, organized in a 3-dimensional culture, and method of using same. A process for making the system of the invention is also provided.

Embodiments of the disclosure concern methods and compositions related to cancer treatment for an individual utilizing recombinant fibroblast cells that comprise one or more activities that are endothelial cell-like. The cells are delivered to a tumor microenvironment following which their death results in destabilization of the tumor vasculature. In particular embodiments, the fibroblast cells recombinantly express one or more of ETV2, FOXC2, and FLI1.