Stem cells are maintained in an undifferentiated state by a series of biochemical and biophysical factors collectively known as the stem cell niche.  The native extracellular matrix (ECM) is a significant component of this niche, facilitating cell adhesion, force propagation, and presentation of biochemical cues.  However, the stem cell-ECM interactions that are most important to mimic in order to maintain stemness in cultured and transplanted stem cells remain poorly understood.  To address this problem, we have designed a family of materials using recombinant protein engineering and peptide conjugate chemistry to precisely tune several scaffolds properties including cell adhesion, matrix stiffness, and biodegradability. These materials have been used to identify the critical scaffold properties required to support the proliferation and stemness maintenance of neural stem cells in 3D culture. These materials may be used to facilitate the rapid expansion and transplantation of neural stem cells for a variety of clinical indications.<br/>

Polypeptide scaffolds as engineered neural stem cell niches

254th National Meeting (2017)

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