To better understand a disease and develop improved therapeutic strategies, there is a pressing need for the development of better in vitro models. More specifically, models of the neural pathways are limited due to the fragile nature of cells of the nervous system. We developed a novel 3D screen printing approach that is robust, simple and low-cost and suitable for these cells when coupled with the use of compatible scaffolding materials. Hydrogels have proven to be good candidates for this purpose since they have similar water contents as most of the internal tissues in the body. Preliminary results show that the process of 3D screen printing can be applied to human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) without negatively impacting their viability. The study was directed towards developing a suitable scaffolding system using PEG-PLL based hydrogels and incorporating human neural cells such that the model mirrors the physical and functional architecture of the neural pathway. This study summarizes the processes involved in the synthesis and characterization of various candidate gels and their components. It also describes the results of experiments conducted to determine the optimal hydrogel by evaluating the mechanical and physical properties of these gels. The results of our experiments provide qualitative and quantitative insights into the applicability of the screen printing process to human iPSC derived neurons and other cells of the neural pathways to develop a comprehensive in vitro model. The construction of such a model has an immense potential to direct high throughput screening processes.

Modeling the neural pathway: 3D screen printing approach

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.