Publications by authors named "J H GOUGH"

The European hedgehog () is a protected species of conservation concern in the UK. In recent years, there have been multiple incidents of fatal encephalitis in captive hedgehogs in wildlife rescue centers associated with the molecular detection of a hedgehog arterivirus (HhAV-1). However, it remains unclear whether the virus is the causative agent of the central nervous system (CNS) lesions.

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Supramolecular bioinspired self-assembling peptide hydrogel (SAPH) scaffolds represent a class of fully defined synthetic materials whose chemical and mechanical properties can be finely engineered. In this study, the relationship between SAPHs physicochemical properties and HepG2 cells viability, spheroid formation and function are discussed. We first report that negatively charged SAPHs promote hepatocyte proliferation and spheroids formation 3D culture while positively charged SAPHs lead to hepatocyte death irrespective of the hydrogel mechanical properties.

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Article Synopsis
  • Intervertebral discs (IVDs) consist of two parts: the soft nucleus pulposus (NP) and the stiffer annulus fibrosus (AF), and their degeneration can lead to chronic pain and disability, often worsened by age.
  • A new bioprinting system called SLAM was developed to create IVD analogues that replicate the structure and function of real IVD tissue, addressing the lack of effective in vitro models for research.
  • The bioprinted IVD analogues successfully mirrored the key features of native IVDs, showing proper cell morphology and organization, as well as an effective cellular and material interface between the NP and AF regions.
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Self-assembling peptide hydrogels (SAPHs) have been used in the past decade as reliable three-dimensional (3D) synthetic scaffolds for the culture of a variety of mammalian cells in vitro. Thanks to their versatile physicochemical properties, they allow researchers to tailor the hydrogel properties, including stiffness and functionality to the targeted cells and cells' behaviour. One of the advantages of using SAPH scaffolds is the ease of functionalisation.

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