Tuning the mechanical properties of alginate dialdehyde-gelatin (ADA-GEL) bioinks for bioprinting approaches by varying the degree of oxidation.

Extrusion-based 3D bioprinting is one of the most promising and widely used technologies in bioprinting. However, the development of bioprintable, biocompatible bioinks with tailored mechanical and biological properties remains a major challenge in this field. Alginate dialdehyde-gelatin (ADA-GEL) hydrogels face these difficulties and enable to tune the mechanical properties depending on the degree of oxidation (% DO) of ADA.

Mechanical characteristics of spinal cord tissue by indentation.

The mechanical properties of brain and spinal cord tissue have proven to be extremely complex and difficult to assess. Due to the heterogeneous and ultra-soft nature of the tissue, the available literature shows a large variance in mechanical parameters derived from experiments. In this study, we performed a series of indentation experiments to systematically investigate the mechanical properties of porcine spinal cord tissue in terms of their sensitivity to indentation tip diameter, loading rate, holding time, ambient temperature along with cyclic and oscillatory dynamic loading.

Model-driven exploration of poro-viscoelasticity in human brain tissue: be careful with the parameters!

The brain is arguably the most complex human organ and modelling its mechanical behaviour has challenged researchers for decades. There is still a lack of understanding on how this multiphase tissue responds to mechanical loading and how material parameters can be reliably calibrated. While previous viscoelastic models with two relaxation times have successfully captured the response of brain tissue, the Theory of Porous Media provides a continuum mechanical framework to explore the underlying physical mechanisms, including interactions between solid matrix and free-flowing interstitial fluid.

Monophasic hyaluronic acid-silica hybrid hydrogels for articular cartilage applications.

Hyaluronic acid (HA), an FDA-approved natural polymer and important component of the extracellular matrix (ECM), has been widely used to develop hydrogels for cartilage regeneration. However, HA hydrogels often exhibit poor mechanical properties and unsuitable degradability, limiting their capability to support cell growth in cartilage. To overcome these challenges, this study modifies HA with a silica precursor and the coupling agent (3-Glycidyloxypropyl) trimethoxysilane (GPTMS) to develop a monophasic organic-inorganic hybrid HA-silica hydrogel.

Exploring the role of different cell types on cortical folding in the developing human brain through computational modeling.

The human brain's distinctive folding pattern has attracted the attention of researchers from different fields. Neuroscientists have provided insights into the role of four fundamental cell types crucial during embryonic development: radial glial cells, intermediate progenitor cells, outer radial glial cells, and neurons. Understanding the mechanisms by which these cell types influence the number of cortical neurons and the emerging cortical folding pattern necessitates accounting for the mechanical forces that drive the cortical folding process.