HYDRHA: Hydrogels of hyaluronic acid. New biomedical approaches in cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and tissue engineering.

In the last decade, hyaluronic acid (HA) has attracted an ever-growing interest in the biomedical engineering field as a biocompatible, biodegradable, and chemically versatile molecule. In fact, HA is a major component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and is essential for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and crosstalk. Innovative experimental strategies and using three-dimensional (3D) HA systems have been increasingly reported in studies of diseases, replacement of tissue and organ damage, repairing wounds, and encapsulating stem cells for tissue regeneration.

Substrate stiffness effect on molecular crosstalk of epithelial-mesenchymal transition mediators of human glioblastoma cells.

The complexity of the microenvironment effects on cell response, show accumulating evidence that glioblastoma (GBM) migration and invasiveness are influenced by the mechanical rigidity of their surroundings. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a well-recognized driving force of the invasive behavior of cancer. However, the primary mechanisms of EMT initiation and progression remain unclear.

3D Culture Modeling of Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells in Additive Manufactured Scaffolds.

Cancer biology research is increasingly moving toward innovative 3D culture models, as conventional and current 2D cell cultures fail to resemble cancer biology. In the current study, porous 3D scaffolds, designed with two different porosities along with 2D tissue culture polystyrene (TCP) plates were used with a model breast cancer human cell line. The 3D engineered system was evaluated for the optimal seeding method (dynamic versus static), adhesion, and proliferation rate of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.