(282g) Advances in Dynamic Hydrogel Niches to Promote Tissue Regeneration

Methods for culturing mammalian cells in three dimensions are increasingly important to study cell and tissue physiology and to grow replacement tissues for regenerative medicine. Hydrogel scaffolds can provide cellular microenvironments that contribute to the spatially and temporally complex signaling that directs cell phenotype and ultimately tissue formation. To date, scaffolds based on both synthetic and natural gels have been widely explored, but each of these approaches possesses limitations. In this talk, the concepts of permissive and promoting gel niches will be discussed, along with emerging strategies to incorporate biochemical and biomechanical cues as mimics of the native extracellular matrix. Ultimately, advances in synthetic-biologic material hybrids are needed to provide robust platforms that allow tuning of cell function on multiple time and size scales.