Publications Repository - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

Cell culture has been one of the most relevant techniques in biology, providing a platform to investigate fundamental research questions about biological processes [1-2]. However, the complexity of 3D tissue structure and the interactions between different cell types and signaling molecules in vivo make it evident that conventional 2D cell culture is not capable of properly recapitulating the physiological dynamics of the tissues in vivo [3]. The latter, in addition to the ethical concerns of animal and human testing, have driven the development of in vitro tissue models that can reassemble in vivo 3D tissue microenvironments known as microphysiological systems (MPSs) [2-3]. The integration of sensors in culture platforms enables in situ monitoring of MPSs providing high sensitivity, temporal, and spatial resolution [4]. In this work, we present the development of a 3D-printed in vitro culturing platform for in situ monitoring of microencapsulated spheroids (MCSs) [5]. Flexible interdigitated gold microelectrodes are integrated into the 3D-printed structures to locally monitor the changes in the environment of the microencapsulated spheroids [6]. The pH of the environment was monitored for different MCSs densities. This allowed us to study the relationship between acidification and MCSs density in controlled environmental settings. The development of novel sensing and culturing platforms provides the possibility to enhance the physiological understanding of in vivo systems through the study of MPSs.
References
[1] Segeritz, C. P., & Vallier, L. (2017). Cell culture: Growing cells as model systems in vitro. In Basic science methods for clinical researchers (pp. 151-172). Academic Press.
[2] Wikswo, J. P. (2014). The relevance and potential roles of microphysiological systems in biology and medicine. Experimental biology and medicine, 239(9), 1061-1072.
[3] Sohn, L. L., Schwille, P., Hierlemann, A., Tay, S., Samitier, J., Fu, J., & Loskill, P. (2020). How can microfluidic and microfabrication approaches make experiments more physiologically relevant?. Cell systems, 11(3), 209-211.
[4] Modena, M. M., Chawla, K., Misun, P. M., & Hierlemann, A. (2018). Smart cell culture systems: Integration of sensors and actuators into microphysiological systems. ACS chemical biology, 13(7), 1767-1784.
[5] Peng, X., Janicjievic, Z., Lemm, S., Laube, M., Pietzsch, J., Bachmann, M., & Baraban, L. (2022). Shell engineering in soft alginate-based capsules for culturing liver tumoroids. Authorea Preprints.
[6] Schütt, J., Sandoval Bojorquez, D. I., Avitabile, E., Oliveros Mata, E. S., Milyukov, G., Colditz, J., ... & Baraban, L. (2020). Nanocytometer for smart analysis of peripheral blood and acute myeloid leukemia: a pilot study. Nano Letters, 20(9), 6572-6581.