3D Freeform Printing of Nanocomposite Hydrogels through Precipitation in Reactive Viscous Fluid.

Composite hydrogels have gained great attention as three-dimensional (3D) printing biomaterials because of their enhanced intrinsic mechanical strength and bioactivity compared to pure hydrogels. In most conventional printing methods for composite hydrogels, particles are preloaded in ink before printing, which often reduces the printability of composite ink with little mechanical improvement due to poor particle-hydrogel interaction of physical mixing. In contrast, the incorporation of nanoparticles into a hydrogel during 3D printing achieves uniform distribution of particles with remarkable mechanical reinforcement, while precursors dissolved in inks do not influence the printing process.

Cocultures of mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial cells as organotypic models of prostate cancer metastasis.

In spite of recognized limitations in capturing species-specific responses and high costs, rodent models remain commonly used in prostate cancer metastasis research, due largely to the lack of available alternatives. We aim to develop an in vitro culture system to study prostate cancer response to a simulated bone microenvironment, which may be used to understand early events in prostate metastasis to bone or for drug screening applications. To achieve this, mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial cells were isolated and cocultured to form a vascularized bone analogue.