A microfluidic device can include a superstructure defining a microfluidic channel therein and a first hydrogel bonded to the microfluidic channel to define a perfusable channel therein, the first hydrogel including cells embedded therein or thereon. The microfluidic device can optionally include a second hydrogel bonded to the microfluidic channel or to the hydrogel.

Disclosed herein are methods and compositions for stimulating angiogenesis, using cells descended from marrow adherent stromal cells that have been transfected with sequences encoding a Notch intracellular domain. Applications of these methods and compositions include treatment of ischemic disorders such as stroke.

Disclosed is a chimeric polypeptide for use in-vitro tissue engineering, the polypeptide including cellulose binding domain (CBD), a cell effector protein (CEP), and a linker linking the CBD to the CEP, as well as systems and method utilizing same.

An object of the present invention is to provide a ventral hindgut organoid for producing a bladder organoid that comprises a layer structure of bladder epithelial cell types like the urinary bladder. An aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a ventral hindgut organoid, comprising culturing a pluripotent stem cell with an inducer medium A containing activin A and GSK3β inhibitor to induce differentiation into definitive endoderm cells and culturing the definitive endoderm cells with an inducer medium B containing fibroblast growth factor, GSK3β inhibitor, and optionally further containing bone morphogenetic protein, and then culturing them in the presence of extracellular matrix with an inducer medium B containing fibroblast growth factor, GSK3β inhibitor, and optionally further containing bone morphogenetic protein to form a ventral hindgut organoid.

Provided herein are methods and systems for bio-printing of three-dimensional organs and organoids. Also provided herein are bio-printed three-dimensional organs and organoids for use in the generation and/or the assessment of immunological products and/or immune responses. Also provided herein are methods and system for bio-printing three-dimensional matrices.

The invention relates to culturing motor neuron cells together with skeletal muscle cells in a fluidic device under conditions whereby the interaction of these cells mimic the structure and function of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) providing a NMJ-on-chip. Good viability, formation of myo-fibers and function of skeletal muscle cells on fluidic chips allow for measurements of muscle cell contractions. Embodiments of motor neurons co-cultures with contractile myo-fibers are contemplated for use with modeling diseases affecting NMJ's, e.g. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for fabrication of polymer scaffolds and biological tissues in the multi-well plates in a rapid, high-throughput, controllable and reproducible manner by using optical exposure of the wells to patterned probe light without using a photomask. In some aspects, an apparatus includes a light source to produce a probe light; a digital display device to spatially modulate the probe light to encode a programmable spatial pattern in a spatially-modulated light; a stage to hold a target surface or chamber, wherein the target surface or chamber contains a solution including a material that forms a scaffold or construct based on interaction with the spatially-modulated light projected at the solution; and a computer control device in communication with the light source and the digital display device to control a change of the solution including the material to form the scaffold or construct.

A cell/tissue culture system comprising at least one bioreactor configured to hold at least one type of cell to cultivate tissue, a dialysis unit comprising a dialysis membrane, a fresh medium unit, and a waste removal unit configured to remove metabolic waste from dialysate, wherein the metabolic waste comprises ammonia and lactate, and wherein the waste removal unit comprises biocatalysts or enzymes configured to breakdown lactate and generate carbon sources that promote cell growth.

A method is disclosed for acquiring a single, in-focus two-dimensional projection image of a live, three-dimensional cell culture sample, with a fluorescence microscope. One or more long-exposure “Z-sweep” images are obtained, i.e. via a single or series of continuous acquisitions, while moving the Z-focal plane of a camera through the sample, to produce one or more two-dimensional images of fluorescence intensity integrated over the Z-dimension. The acquisition method is much faster than a Z-stack method, which enables higher throughput and reduces the risk of exposing the sample to too much fluorescent light. The long-exposure Z-sweep image(s) is then input into a neural network which has been trained to produce a high-quality (in-focus) two-dimensional projection image of the sample. With these high-quality projection images, biologically relevant analysis metrics can be obtained to describe the fluorescence signal using standard image analysis techniques, such as fluorescence object count and other fluorescence intensity metrics (e.g., mean intensity, texture, etc.).

Provided herein is an in vitro model of the blood brain barrier. In some embodiments, the model includes: an endothelial cell layer, and brain tissue layer comprising neuronal cells, and optionally one or more of astrocytes, pericytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia. In some embodiments, the model further comprises a porous membrane between said endothelial cell layer and the neuronal cell layer. A microfluidic device comprising the same and methods of use thereof are also provided.