Bioactive hydrogels based on lysine dendrigrafts as crosslinkers: tailoring elastic properties to influence hMSC osteogenic differentiation.

Dendrigrafts are multivalent macromolecules with less ordered topology and higher branching than dendrimers. Exhibiting a high density of terminal amines, poly-L-lysine dendrigrafts of the fifth generation (DGL G5) allow hydrogel formation with tailorable crosslinking density and surface modification. This work presents DGL G5 as multifunctional crosslinkers in biomimetic PEG hydrogels to favour the osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs).

Integrating Mechanics and Bioactivity: A Detailed Assessment of Elasticity and Viscoelasticity at Different Scales in 2D Biofunctionalized PEGDA Hydrogels for Targeted Bone Regeneration.

Methods for promoting and controlling the differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) in vitro before in vivo transplantation are crucial for the advancement of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In this study, we developed poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties, including elasticity and viscoelasticity, coupled with bioactivity achieved through the immobilization of a mixture of RGD and a mimetic peptide of the BMP-2 protein. Despite the key relevance of hydrogel mechanical properties for cell culture, a standard for its characterization has not been proposed, and comparisons between studies are challenging due to the different techniques employed.

Silanization Strategies for Tailoring Peptide Functionalization on Silicon Surfaces: Implications for Enhancing Stem Cell Adhesion.

Biomaterial surface engineering and the integration of cell-adhesive ligands are crucial in biological research and biotechnological applications. The interplay between cells and their microenvironment, influenced by chemical and physical cues, impacts cellular behavior. Surface modification of biomaterials profoundly affects cellular responses, especially at the cell-surface interface.

Manipulating Stem Cell Fate with Disordered Bioactive Cues on Surfaces: The Role of Bioactive Ligand Selection.

The development of 2D or 3D bioactive platforms for rapidly isolating pure populations of cells from adult stem cells holds promise for advancing the understanding of cellular mechanisms, drug testing, and tissue engineering. Over the years, methods have emerged to synthesize bioactive micro- and nanostructured 2D materials capable of directing stem cell fate. We introduce a novel method for randomly micro- or nanopatterning any protein/peptide onto both 2D and 3D scaffolds via spray technology.

Quantitative risk assessment of FMDV introduction in a FMD free country through bone-in beef and offal importation from a FMD free with vaccination country/zone.

Quantitative risk assessment was used to estimate the risk of introducing foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) through bone-in beef from Argentina (FMD-free with vaccination status) into other FMD-free countries. A stochastic model was built to characterize all the steps from primary production to bone-in beef export and introduction into an FMD-free country. The probability that bone-in beef from at least one animal infected with the FMD virus (FMDV) was exported during a year was 5.