Disclosed are microbeads for cell culture and a method of monitoring cell culture using the same. More particularly, each of the microbeads for cell culture according to an embodiment of the present invention include a core and a surface modification layer formed on a surface of the core. By using the method of monitoring cell culture with the microbeads for cell culture according to an embodiment of the present invention, cell culture may be carried out in highly scaled-up dimension and easily monitored.

A method of handling an adherent cell in a microdroplet assaying system by conjugating an adherent cell to a microbead is provided. The method 50 comprises the steps of: loading a first plurality of microdroplets into a microfluidic space, wherein each of the first microdroplet 5 contains a microbead 52 and a first fluid; loading a second plurality of microdroplets into the microfluidic space, wherein each of the second microdroplet contains an adherent cell and a second fluid 54; merging the first plurality of microdroplets and the second plurality of microdroplets to form a plurality of merged microdroplets 56, each merged microdroplets containing the first and second fluids, at least one microbead and at least one adherent cell; and10 agitating each of the merged microdroplets 58 to cause the first and second fluids in each of the merged microdroplets to move such that at least one adherent cell adhere to the at least one microbead. [FIG. 1] 15

Methods for preparation of immune cells in a fully closed system are provided. Specifically, the methods contain the steps of pretreating, cell sorting, activation, transduction and expansion. The present methods greatly improve the preparation efficiency of immune cells, and reduce preparation costs.

The present disclosure provides ex vivo tumour immune microenvironment model comprising patient-derived explant with a tumour-specific immune cell profile embedded in a matrix comprising nanofibrillar cellulose hydrogel having a concentration in the range of 0.25-1.2% by weight, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose comprises fibrils and/or fibril bundles having number-average diameter of 200 nm or less. The present disclosure also provides a method for preserving a tumour-specific immune cell profile in an ex vivo tumour immune microenvironment model, the method comprising providing a patient-derived explant with a tumour-specific immune cell profile, providing a matrix comprising nanofibrillar cellulose hydrogel, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose comprises fibrils and/or fibril bundles having number-average diameter of 200 nm or less, embedding the patient-derived explant with a tumour-specific immune cell profile in the matrix comprising nanofibrillar cellulose hydrogel, to obtain the ex vivo tumour immune microenvironment model, wherein the nanofibrillar cellulose hydrogel has a concentration in the range of 0.25-1.2% by weight. The model and the method are useful for example in drug discovery. The present disclosure also provides use of nanofibrillar cellulose.

A spheroid tissue microarray comprises an array of tissue spheroids embedded within a porous mold. The product may be impregnated with a wax or resin and sectioned, and contains spheroids which are precisely located in a regular geometric grid. A method of manufacturing a spheroid tissue microarray comprises the steps of: forming a mold of porous material from liquid mold material in a casting mold, and allowing the liquid mold material to set; removing the porous mold from the casting mold; topping up the porous mold with further liquid mold material, and allowing recesses to form in the surface of the mold by the drawing-in of liquid mold material through shrinkage as the liquid mold material sets; placing tissue spheroids into the recesses in the surface of the porous mold; and sealing the tissue spheroids within the mold by topping off with liquid mold material and allowing the liquid mold material to set. An alternative method comprises the steps of: forming a mold of porous material from liquid mold material in a casting mold; allowing the liquid mold material to set; removing the porous mold from the casting mold; placing spheroids in recesses at the bases of wells in the mold of porous material; and sealing the spheroids within the porous mold by adding further porous material on top of the spheroids; wherein the recesses at the bases of the wells in the porous material are formed by protrusions of the casting mold carrying further, nipple-shaped, protrusions.

Disclosed herein are methods of producing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells using substrates, such as artificial antigen presenting cells, containing on a surface a a heparin binding domain (HBD), anti-CD3 single chain antibodies, anti-CD28 single chain antibodies (scFv), and optionally anti-41BBL antibodies. Anti-CD3 and Anti-CD28 scFvs bind and activate expanding T cells ex vivo, while the Heparin Binding Domain binds the viral vector, thereby bringing the T cells into close proximity with virus for effective gene transfer. This is a less costly, renewable, modifiable, and efficacious alternative to coated beads and RetroNectin® for gene transfer.

The present disclosure relates to a microcarrier for cell culture comprising: polystyrene-based particles containing at least one or more of hydrocarbon oil having 12 or more carbon atoms, or pores derived therefrom, a method for producing the same, and a cell culture composition using the same.

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.

Mineralization occurs during weathering of silicate materials/rocks rich in CA+ and Mg+, particularly peridotite which composes Earth's upper mantle. The carbon mineralization mantle peridotite is the base activated carbon for nanostructured-carbon-base-material. The nanostructured-carbon-base-material using mantle peridotite carbon mineralization based activated carbon nanotubes is a new catalyst for batteries and fuel-cell use that doesn't use precious metal such as platinum and that performs as effectively as many well-known, expensive precious-metal catalysts. The nanostructured-carbon-base-material using mantle peridotite carbon mineralization based activated carbon nanotubes makes possible the creation of economical lithium-air batteries that could power electric vehicles. The carbon nanotubes have useful qualities such as slim, strong, lightweight, high electronic conductivity, has metallic/semiconductive properties that are useful in (1) electronics i.e. wiring, transistor; (2) material that reinforced resin/metal; (3) energy source i.e. catalysis support, ion adsorption, capacitors; (4) nanotechnology i.e. nanostructure; and (5) biotechnology i.e. cell cultivating, drug delivery system, biosensor.

Described is a three-dimensional (3D) microenvironment presenting defined biochemical and physical cues that regulate cellular behavior and use of the microenvironment. A composition to form the 3D microenvironment is provided by combining one or more natural or synthetic polymeric materials and substrate proteins recombinantly or chemically functionalized with a variety of bioactive peptides such as extracellular matrix-derived or growth factor-derived peptides. Also described are devices and methods for screening for optimal combinations of the bioactive motifs in order to create an extracellular microenvironment that can regulate specific cellular behavior such as cell growth, proliferation, migration or differentiation.