Vascularized tumor models for the evaluation of drug delivery systems: a paradigm shift.

As the conversion rate of preclinical studies for cancer treatment is low, user-friendly models that mimic the pathological microenvironment and drug intake with high throughput are scarce. Animal models are key, but an alternative to reduce their use would be valuable. Vascularized tumor-on-chip models combine great versatility with scalable throughput and are easy to use.

Navigating the landscape of RNA delivery systems in cardiovascular disease therapeutics.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) stand as the leading cause of death worldwide, posing a significant global health challenge. Consequently, the development of innovative therapeutic strategies to enhance CVDs treatment is imperative. RNA-based therapies, encompassing non-coding RNAs, mRNA, aptamers, and CRISPR/Cas9 technology, have emerged as promising tools for addressing CVDs.

Fibroblasts mediate endothelium response to angiogenic cues in a newly developed 3D stroma engineered model.

Three-dimensional stroma engineered models would enable fundamental and applicative studies of human tissues interaction and remodeling in both physiological and pathological conditions. In this work, we propose a 3D vascularized stroma model to be used as in vitro platform for drug testing. A pullulan/dextran-based porous scaffold containing pre-patterned microchannels of 100 μm diameter is used for co-culturing of fibroblasts within the matrix pores and endothelial cells to form the lumen.

Advances in the engineering of the outer blood-retina barrier: From in-vitro modelling to cellular therapy.

The outer blood-retina barrier (oBRB), crucial for the survival and the proper functioning of the overlying retinal layers, is disrupted in numerous diseases affecting the retina, leading to the loss of the photoreceptors and ultimately of vision. To study the oBRB and/or its degeneration, many oBRB models have been developed, notably to investigate potential therapeutic strategies against retinal diseases. Indeed, to this day, most of these pathologies are untreatable, especially once the first signs of degeneration are observed.

Engineered human liver based on pullulan-dextran hydrogel promotes mice survival after liver failure.

Liver tissue engineering approaches aim to support drug testing, assistance devices, or transplantation. However, their suitability for clinical application remains unsatisfactory. Herein, we demonstrate the beneficial and biocompatible use of porous pullulan-dextran hydrogel for the self-assembly of hepatocytes and biliary-like cells into functional 3D microtissues.