Advanced Biosystems

Matrix-embedded endothelial cells (MEECs) attain a progenitor-like phenotype as defined by comparisons of secretome, phenotype, and genetic fingerprint of MEECs with that of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). EPCs cultured in 2D lose this phenotype but regain it when embedded in matrices. These findings show how dominant matrix embedding can be and how much these factors functionally transform cellular behavior and therapeutic potential.

A lipid–polymer hybrid formulation is developed to spatiotemporally control the knockdown of interleukin 1 beta (IL1β) and cadherin 11 (CDH11), two key genes implicated in maladaptive responses of human primary adventitial fibroblasts. The combined silencing of these genes for one week completely halts differentiation and significantly reduces proliferation, which are critical goals for treating fibrotic responses in cardiovascular diseases.

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-stimulated systems have recently been employed to treat pathologic sites with abnormal oxidative stress. Here, an overview over the designing principles and strategies of drug delivery systems composing of H₂O₂-responsive materials for cancer, inflammation, and diabetes is provided. Additionally, the diagnosis of diseases using H₂O₂-responsive fluorescent compounds is discussed.

A major challenge in tissue engineering is to modulate inflammatory reactions to the implanted scaffolds to drive neo-tissue regeneration. In this review, the possibility of using various strategies to immunomodulate the inflammatory responses to tissue engineering scaffolds is discussed, with particular focus on electrospun nanofibrous mats.

In this work, a 3D printing system is presented that can pattern gel microrods, with either homogeneous or heterogeneous (e.g., Janus and ternary) compositions, into elaborate 3D architectures of centimeter dimensions. The microrods are fabricated at high throughput from gelatin methacrylate or Matrigel, by using a cost-effective, droplet-based microfluidics tubing system.