(745g) Standardized 3D Scaffolds in Well-Plate Platform as in Vitro Tissue Culture Models for High Throughput Testings

Manipulation and interpretation of cell responses are essential in drug discovery, tissue engineering, stem cell, and cancer research. Current 2D cell culture techniques, however, lead to skewed cell responses and disoriented biological properties due to missing components in the complex reciprocal bio-physical and chemical interplay between the ECM. To address the current shortcomings, we have developed 3D porous and interconnected scaffolds born from inversion of colloidal crystals (ICC) with synthetic hydrogel. The ICC hydrogel scaffolds demonstrated the following physical features due to unique manufacturing techniques: (1) high porosity allowing efficient transport of nutrient and metabolic waste, (2) highly ordered array structures, (3) topological and mechanical resemblance of several in vivo organs, (4) high transparency allowing optical-based evaluation protocols. ICC scaffolds can be tailored for specific studies through chemical modification of the synthetic hydrogel. Hepatic carcinoma in spheroids, including the bile canaliculi, were realized and geometrically controlled in cell-repulsive 3D scaffolds comprised of non-fouling hydrogel. There was a marked difference in the liver tissue specific function, such as albumin secretion rate and CYP450 activity, in 3D hepatic spheroid models in comparison to the 2D cultures. Cytotoxic effects of nano-particles (NP), such as cadmium telluride (CdTe) and gold nano-particles were significantly reduced in our spheroid models compared to the 2D culture. Cell-adhesive properties were imparted to the scaffolds through co-polymerization with acrylamide variety of hydrogel and demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and cell proliferative activity. Currently, work is in progress to integrate the ICC scaffolds into the pharmaceutical infrastructure with high throughput testing capability in hopes to provide standardized and accessible 3D in vitro tissue culture models that biologists can use easily.