Characterization of Photo-Crosslinked Methacrylated Type I Collagen as a Platform to Investigate the Lymphatic Endothelial Cell Response.

Despite chronic fibrosis occurring in many pathological conditions, few in vitro studies examine how fibrosis impacts lymphatic endothelial cell (LEC) behavior. This study examined stiffening profiles of PhotoCol-commercially available methacrylated type I collagen-photo-crosslinked with the photoinitiators: Lithium phenyl-2,4,6-trimethylbenzoylphosphinate (LAP), Irgacure 2959 (IRG), and Ruthenium/Sodium Persulfate (Ru/SPS) prior to evaluating PhotoCol permeability and LEC response to PhotoCol at stiffnesses representing normal and fibrotic tissues. Ru/SPS produced the highest stiffness (~6 kilopascal (kPa)) for photo-crosslinked PhotoCol, but stiffness did not change with burst light exposures (30 and 90 s).

A miniaturized 3D printed pressure regulator (µPR) for microfluidic cell culture applications.

Well-defined fluid flows are the hallmark feature of microfluidic culture systems and enable precise control over biophysical and biochemical cues at the cellular scale. Microfluidic flow control is generally achieved using displacement-based (e.g.