[Models of glomerular filtration barrier : New developments].

In this article, we present the latest innovations to generate in vitro models of the glomerular filtration barrier. There is currently a growing interest for such model systems that allow to reduce the use of animal models. Methodologies to improve their physiological relevance have taken advantage of the development of induced pluripotent stem cells and of bioengineering, particularly tissue engineering.

Designer artificial membrane binding proteins to direct stem cells to the myocardium.

We present a new cell membrane modification methodology where the inherent heart tissue homing properties of the infectious bacteria are transferred to human stem cells. This is achieved the rational design of a chimeric protein-polymer surfactant cell membrane binding construct, comprising the cardiac fibronectin (Fn) binding domain of the bacterial adhesin protein CshA fused to a supercharged protein. Significantly, the protein-polymer surfactant hybrid spontaneously inserts into the plasma membrane of stem cells without cytotoxicity, instilling the cells with a high affinity for immobilized fibronectin.

Engineered basement membranes: from in vivo considerations to cell-based assays.

Improvements in the physiological relevance of cell-based assays have been enabled by the development of various interdisciplinary methods. However, due to their complexity, in vivo structures such as basement membranes (BMs), which regulate the phenotype of adherent cells, are still difficult to mimic in vitro. The reconstruction of a physiologically relevant BM is crucially important to develop cell-based assays with the capacity for drug screening and disease modelling.

Three-Dimensional Graphene: A Biocompatible and Biodegradable Scaffold with Enhanced Oxygenation.

Owing to its high porosity, specific surface area and three-dimensional structure, three-dimensional graphene (3D-C) is a promising scaffold material for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine as well as providing a more biologically relevant platform for living organisms in vivo studies. Recently, its differentiation effects on cells growth and anti-inflammation properties have also been demonstrated. Here, we report a complete study of 3D-C as a fully adequate scaffold for tissue engineering and systematically analyze its biocompatibility and biodegradation mechanism.

New physiologically-relevant liver tissue model based on hierarchically cocultured primary rat hepatocytes with liver endothelial cells.

To develop an in vitro liver tissue equivalent, hepatocytes should be cocultured with liver non-parenchymal cells to mimic the in vivo physiological microenvironments. In this work, we describe a physiologically-relevant liver tissue model by hierarchically organizing layers of primary rat hepatocytes and human liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (TMNK-1) on an oxygen-permeable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane, which facilitates direct oxygenation by diffusion through the membrane. This in vivo-mimicking hierarchical coculture was obtained by simply proceeding the overlay of TMNK-1 cells on the hepatocyte layer re-formed on the collagen immobilized PDMS membranes.

Inhibiting protein biofouling using graphene oxide in droplet-based microfluidic microsystems.

Biofouling or adsorption of biomolecules onto surfaces in microfluidic devices limits the type of samples which can be handled. In this paper, we take advantage of the high adsorption capacity of graphene oxide (GO) for proteins as a strategy to limit biofouling, while preserving their activity for droplet-based lab-on-chip applications.

Sliding droplets on superomniphobic zinc oxide nanostructures.

This study reports on liquid-repellency of zinc oxide nanostructures (ZnO NS). The ZnO NS are synthesized by an easy and fast chemical bath deposition technique. Three different nanostructured surfaces consisting of nanorods, flowers, and particles are prepared, depending on the deposition time and the presence of ethanolamine in the reaction mixture.