An In Vitro Model of the Blood-Brain Barrier for the Investigation and Isolation of the Key Drivers of Barriergenesis.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) tightly regulates substance transport between the bloodstream and the brain. Models for the study of the physiological processes affecting the BBB, as well as predicting the permeability of therapeutic substances for neurological and neurovascular pathologies, are highly desirable. Existing models, such as Transwell utilizing-models, do not mimic the extracellular environment of the BBB with their stiff, semipermeable, non-biodegradable membranes.

3D Printing of Noncytotoxic High-Resolution Microchannels in Bisphenol-A Ethoxylate Dimethacrylate Tissue-Mimicking Materials.

The ability to create cell-laden fluidic models that mimic the geometries and physical properties of vascularized tissue would be extremely beneficial to the study of disease etiologies and future therapies, including in the case of cancer where there is increasing interest in studying alterations to the microvasculature. Engineered systems can present significant advantages over animal studies, alleviating challenges associated with variable complexity and control. Three-dimensional (3D)-printable tissue-mimicking hydrogels can offer an alternative, where control of the biophysical properties of the materials can be achieved.

Engineered dual affinity protein fragments to bind collagen and capture growth factors.

Collagen type I lacks affinity for growth factors (GFs) and yet it is clinically used to deliver bone morphogenic protein 2 (BMP-2), a potent osteogenic growth factor. To mitigate this lack of affinity, supra-physiological concentrations of BMP-2 are loaded in collagen sponges leading to uncontrolled BMP-2 leakage out of the material. This has led to important adverse side effects such as carcinogenesis.

High toughness resorbable brushite-gypsum fiber-reinforced cements.

The ideal bone substitute material should be mechanically strong, biocompatible with a resorption rate matching the rate of new bone formation. Brushite (dicalcium phosphate dihydrate) cement is a promising bone substitute material but with limited resorbability and mechanical properties. To improve the resorbability and mechanical performance of brushite cements, we incorporated gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate) and diazonium-treated polyglactin fibers which are well-known for their biocompatibility and bioresorbability.