Speaker
Description
The role of collagen in regenerative medicine therapies is gaining significant attention. Collagen, particularly in its native, fibrillar form, is essential for creating 3D models that accurately mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM). 3D models in regenerative medicine offer realistic tissue replication, improved cell interactions, personalized treatments, better drug testing, complex tissue engineering, and scalability for clinical use. While soluble collagen is widely available and used, native fibrillar collagen offers a more complex structure that can enhance the rheological properties and biomimicry of scaffolds. This study highlights the application of native, fibrillar collagen bioink in various tissue engineering scenarios, showcasing its potential to improve regenerative medicine outcomes. Fibercoll-Flex-N®, a commercially available 3D fibrillar collagen bioink, offers significant advantages for bioprinting and tissue engineering. This bioink, allows for easy stiffness regulation and supports cell encapsulation at physiological conditions, promoting authentic cell performance, making Fibercoll-Flex-N® a versatile and effective tool for regenerative medicine applications. In this study, human induced pluripotent stem cell-cardiac fibroblasts (hiPSC-CF) and cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CM), human nasal septum chondrocytes (hCN) and mouse myoblast immortal cells (C2C12) were encapsulated in Fibercoll-Flex-N® to assess the performance of the collagen bioink across different applications. To characterize the mechanical properties of the collagen bioinks, rheological properties such as elastic and viscous modulus (1124 Pa G’ and 186 Pa G’’) and viscosity (1,5 McP), as well as Fiber length (x50; 400 µm) were determined. Printing speed, pressure and shape were also controlled during 3D scaffold fabrication process to ensure shape fidelity and absence of batch-to-batch variability. Cellular viability and material biocompatibility were confirmed by Alamar Blue® Assay as well as Live/Dead ®Kit. Gene expression completed the analysis of the produced scaffolds. The studies showed high levels of cell viability, harvested DNA and an increase of cell metabolism when compared to the control. Moreover, the gene expression studies also showed an increase of expression in genes of interest. These findings demonstrate that Fibercoll-Flex-N® is well-suited for various in vitro models, showing high cell survival and metabolism rates, along with appropriate gene expression profiles and cellular architecture. The successful application across different in vitro models demonstrates the versatility of Fibercoll-Flex-N®, potentially leading to its use in various regenerative medicine scenarios. These implications highlight the potential of Fibercoll-Flex-N® to advance the field of regenerative medicine by providing a reliable and effective tool for creating high-quality, functional tissue constructs.
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