Exercising control
Met in-vitro tissue models it is possible to improve regenerative cell therapies and test medicines. “But to make good tissue models, we need to be able to accurately simulate the ECM,” says Rijns.
There are currently several natural and synthetic biomaterials that we can use for this, each with its own advantages and limitations. “The biggest problem with current imitations is that their properties are difficult to control.”
The properties of the ECM can be divided into three main categories: mechanical properties (the stiffness of the material, such as hard or soft), bioactive properties (the chemical signals that the ECM gives to the cell) and dynamic properties (how mobile the structure is ).
These properties have a major influence on the behavior of the cells. The matrix must move along, otherwise the cells cannot grow and form tissues. But if the fibers move too much, it is difficult for the cell to grab an attachment point. When recreating the ECM, it is therefore crucial to exercise sufficient control over the three properties.
Supramoleculaire hydrogels
In her research, Rijns looked at how ECM can be recreated with supramolecular hydrogels, a specific type of synthetic biomaterials that offer many advantages. “They are very modular and intrinsically dynamic, which allows us to easily build in functionality.” She takes a beaded bracelet from her hand and moves the beads.
“Supramolecular hydrogels consist of molecules that form weak, reversible bonds with each other to form longer, fibrous structures. This means that they are held together, but not really attached to each other, like these beads. So new connections can be formed and broken down continuously,” she explains, as she pulls apart some beads to demonstrate this.
This makes it easy to add molecules. “These are all green beads,” she continues, still pointing to the bracelet. “But because they are not connected to each other, you could also put a yellow or red bead between them. This way we can incorporate molecules with different biofunctionalities at the molecular level to influence cell behavior.”
2023-11-13 17:09:22
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