Simple Establishment of a Vascularized Osteogenic Bone Marrow Niche Using Pre-Cast Poly(ethylene Glycol) (PEG) Hydrogels in an Imaging Microplate

Lisa  A. Krattiger; Maria Mitsi; Benjamin R. Simona; Martin Ehrbar

doi:10.3791/65413

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Simple Establishment of a Vascularized Osteogenic Bone Marrow Niche Using Pre-Cast Poly(ethylene Glycol) (PEG) Hydrogels in an Imaging Microplate

JoVE Journal
Bioengineering

This content is Free Access.

JoVE Journal Bioengineering

Simple Establishment of a Vascularized Osteogenic Bone Marrow Niche Using Pre-Cast Poly(ethylene Glycol) (PEG) Hydrogels in an Imaging Microplate

2,418 Views

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10:32 min

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May 19, 2023

DOI:

10.3791/65413-v

DOI:

10.3791/65413-v

•

10:32 min

May 19, 2023

•

6 Views

Lisa A. Krattiger¹, Maria Mitsi², Benjamin R. Simona², Martin Ehrbar¹

¹Department of Obstetrics,University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, ²Ectica Technologies AG

Transcript

Most in vitro vascularization studies use naturally-derived matrices. While typically very conductive to biological processes, their inherent biological activity complicates the study of influences of single parameters. Here, we can selectively add our players of interest and assess how the system changes.

The sequential seeding of cells on our blank slate synthetic hydrogels enables the formation of very defined niches. Here, hBMMSs colonize the hydrogels and deposit their inherent extracellular matrix. This provides the substrate for the subsequently seeded endothelial cells.

This feature is not commonly found in other 3D in vitro models. The possibility to add different cell types sequentially allows for the creation of high-throughput compatible in vitro models with great complexity. These models can be adapted to generate more specific osteogenic vascularized niches and to investigate the functions of cellular and molecular players.

Summary

An in vitro model of the bone marrow vascular niche is established by seeding mesenchymal and endothelial cells onto pre-cast 3D PEG hydrogels. The endothelial networks, ECM components, and ALP activity of the niches vary depending on the growth factor used. The platform can be used for advanced cancer models.