The present invention relates to compositions comprising a polymeric matrix or a gel containing functional enzymes capable of re-creating under culture conditions the cell microenvironment existing in vivo. The present invention also relates to devices for cell cultures comprising such compositions, in particular hydrogel and the use thereof to control the chemical microenvironment of a cell culture or mimic physiological or pathological conditions of the in vivo cells. The compositions and the devices described herein could be also used in vitro for evaluating the therapeutic effect of a compound on a determined cell line or on primary cells.

Ex-vivo culture systems are provided. Accordingly there is provided a culture system comprising a culture medium and a precision-cut tissue slice placed on a tissue culture insert, wherein the precision-cut tissue slice is maintained in a highly oxygenated atmosphere containing at least 50% oxygen and wherein said culture is rotationally agitated facilitating intermittent submersion of the tissue slice in the culture medium. Also provided are methods of culturing a tissue and methods of using the culture system for selecting a drug for the treatment of a disease.

The present invention relates to compositions comprising a polymeric matrix or a gel containing functional enzymes capable of re-creating under culture conditions the cell microenvironment existing in vivo. The present invention also relates to devices for cell cultures comprising such compositions, in particular hydrogel and the use thereof to control the chemical microenvironment of a cell culture or mimic physiological or pathological conditions of the in vivo cells. The compositions and the devices described herein could be also used in vitro for evaluating the therapeutic effect of a compound on a determined cell line or on primary cells.

A microfabricated platform for mimicking the liver zonation and an evaluating method of zone-specific hepatotoxicity using the same is provided. The microfabricated platform for mimicking the liver zonation prepared according to the method of the present invention is divided into three zones of zone 1, zone 2 and zone 3 similarly to in vivo liver tissue and thus the zone-specific hepatotoxicity of a drug in the liver can be evaluated using the same. According to the present invention, the zone-specific hepatotoxicity results can be analyzed quantitatively to by using image analysis, so that the platform of the present invention can be effectively used for in vitro screening of zone-specific hepatotoxicity.

The present invention discloses the active substances for preventing hearing deterioration, its preparation method, the pharmaceutical composition containing the active substances, and the preparation method of the pharmaceutical composition. The preparation method of the active substances is performed by plate cultivation, flask cultivation and fermentation tank cultivation, to obtain the active substances of Hericium erinaceus mycelia in powder form. The powder of H. erinaceus mycelia is proved to have the effect of preventing hearing deterioration.

The present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional cell culture support having a double crosslink, and a casting tray for manufacturing the three-dimensional cell culture support, wherein the method for manufacturing the three-dimensional cell culture support having the double crosslink includes: producing a cell mixed hydrogel; manufacturing a casting gel mold in a three-dimensional shape; and manufacturing a structure gelated in a three-dimensional shape, and the casting tray for manufacturing the three-dimensional cell culture support includes: a tray part including a groove accommodating a gel solution; a mold part covering the tray part; and a mold protrusion provided on the mold part and inserted into the groove when the mold part covers the tray part.

The present invention is encompassed in the field of biomedicine and more specifically tissue engineering. It relates specifically to an in vitro method for preparing an artificial tissue, to the artificial tissue obtainable by said method and to the use of this artificial tissue to partially or completely increase, restore or replace the functional activity of a damaged tissue or organ.

Algae-containing beads comprising a microorganism such as unicellular microalgae, an insoluble carbon source such as char, water, and a crosslinked organic matrix. The beads can further contain clay, such as kaolin.

A method of producing three-dimensional cellular tissues includes: obtaining a stromal cell-containing mixture containing stromal cells, a cationic substance, an extracellular matrix component and a polyelectrolyte, or a stromal cell-containing mixture containing stromal cells, a cationic substance and a fragmented extracellular matrix component; gelling the stromal cell-containing mixture to obtain a first gel composition containing stromal cells; obtaining a target cell-containing mixture containing target cells, a cationic substance, an extracellular matrix component and a polyelectrolyte, or a target cell-containing mixture containing target cells, a cationic substance and a fragmented extracellular matrix component; placing the target cell-containing mixture in contact with the first gel composition; gelling the target cell-containing mixture to obtain a second gel composition containing target cells; and incubating the first gel composition and the second gel composition to obtain three-dimensional cellular tissues.

Provided are an organoid having a metastatic property when transplanted into an immunocompetent non-human animal of the same species, a cell strain having a metastatic property when transplanted into an immunocompetent non-human animal of the same species, and a non-human animal including the organoid or the cell strain.