Empa cultivates complex cell cultures

It is problematic to grow complex three-dimensional cell cultures that could one day replace animal testing in pharmaceutical research, as Empa outlined in a statement. However, scientists working at the materials science institute have now made a breakthrough: they have succeeded in developing a scaffold from gel in which cells can grow and interconnect.  

A number of functional groups can be incorporated into the gel polymer structure. “This means that signals can be attached to the polymer backbone, which enable ingrowing cells to ‘anchor’ themselves within the scaffold,” explained Markus Rottmar from Empa’s Laboratory for Biointerfaces. By using the structure’s docking points for enzymes, the cells can then tailor the synthetic scaffold to their needs.

During the process, light is used to control the cells’ growth, with irradiation with UV light initially causing the polymer hydrogel to polymerize. Finally, a laser writes a structural design in the matrix and incorporates components with different functions. “The cells grow based on the prescribed plan and form an initial network,” said project leader Katharina Maniura in the statement. In a matter of hours, complex three-dimensional microtissues start forming.