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Vascularization is an important strategy to overcome diffusion limits and enable the formation of complex, physiologically relevant engineered tissues and organoids. Self-assembly is a technique to generate in vitro vascular networks, but engineering the necessary network morphology and function remains challenging. Here, autofluorescence multiphoton microscopy (aMPM), a label-free imaging technique, is used to quantitatively evaluate in vitro vascular network morphology. Vascular networks are generated using human embryonic stem cell–derived endothelial cells and primary human pericytes encapsulated in synthetic poly(ethylene glycol)-based hydrogels. Two custom-built bioreactors are used to generate distinct fluid flow patterns during vascular network formation: recirculating flow or continuous flow. aMPM is used to image these 3D vascular networks without the need for fixation, labels, or dyes. Image processing and analysis algorithms are developed to extract quantitative morphological parameters from these label-free images. It is observed with aMPM that both bioreactors promote formation of vascular networks with lower network anisotropy compared to static conditions, and the continuous flow bioreactor induces more branch points compared to static conditions. Importantly, these results agree with trends observed with immunocytochemistry. These studies demonstrate that aMPM allows label-free monitoring of vascular network morphology to streamline optimization of growth conditions and provide quality control of engineered tissues., National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01 HL093282-01A1), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1U H2TR000506-01), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 3UH2TR000506-02S1), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 4U H3TR000506-03), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01CA205101), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01CA185747), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01CA211082), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01CA226526), National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant (CBET-1642287), Entertainment Industry Foundation. Stand Up to Cancer Colorectal Cancer Dream Team (Grant SU2C-AACR-IG-08-16), Stand Up To Cancer (Grant SU2C-AACR-IG-08-16)

Engineered tissues offer great promise as engrafted therapies and in vitro models, but these tissues require a vascular network to retain viability at large scales. Significant efforts are focused on optimizing these in vitro vascular constructs, yet current evaluation methods require fixation and immunostaining. These destructive evaluation methods alter vascular network morphology, and cannot non-invasively monitor vascular assembly over time. Here, we demonstrate that autofluorescence multiphoton microscopy (MPM) can quantitatively assess the morphology of living 3D vascular networks without fixation, labels, or dyes. Autofluorescence MPM was used to non-invasively monitor the effect of culture conditions on 3D vascular network formation. Human embryonic stem (ES) cell-derived endothelial cells and primary human pericytes cultured in polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogels self-assembled into 3D vascular networks. Autofluorescence MPM of the metabolic co-enzyme NAD(P)H (excitation/emission wavelengths of 750 nm/400-460 nm) was used to quantify morphological parameters at day 6 of culture. Specifically, vessel diameter, vascular density, branch point density, and integration of endothelial cells into the network were quantified. Dynamic culture conditions (flow at 1μL/sec) led to vascular networks with higher mean vessel diameter compared to static culture (p

A capability for analyzing complex cellular communication among tissues is important in drug discovery and development, and in vitro technologies for doing so are required for human applications. A prominent instance is communication between the gut and the liver, whereby perturbations of one tissue can influence behavior of the other. Here, we present a study on human gut-liver tissue interactions under normal and inflammatory contexts, via an integrative multi-organ platform comprising human liver (hepatocytes and Kupffer cells), and intestinal (enterocytes, goblet cells, and dendritic cells) models. Our results demonstrated long-term (>2 weeks) maintenance of intestinal (e.g., barrier integrity) and hepatic (e.g., albumin) functions in baseline interaction. Gene expression data comparing liver in interaction with gut, versus isolation, revealed modulation of bile acid metabolism. Intestinal FGF19 secretion and associated inhibition of hepatic CYP7A1 expression provided evidence of physiologically relevant gut-liver crosstalk. Moreover, significant non-linear modulation of cytokine responses was observed under inflammatory gut-liver interaction; for example, production of CXCR3 ligands (CXCL9,10,11) was synergistically enhanced. RNA-seq analysis revealed significant upregulation of IFNα/β/γ signaling during inflammatory gut-liver crosstalk, with these pathways implicated in the synergistic CXCR3 chemokine production. Exacerbated inflammatory response in gut-liver interaction also negatively affected tissue-specific functions (e.g., liver metabolism). These findings illustrate how an integrated multi-tissue platform can generate insights useful for understanding complex pathophysiological processes such as inflammatory organ crosstalk., National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant UH3TR00069), United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (grant Microphysiological Systems Program (W911NF-12-2-00))

Investigation of the pharmacokinetics (PK) of a compound is of significant importance during the early stages of drug development, and therefore several in vitro systems are routinely employed for this purpose. However, the need for more physiologically realistic in vitro models has recently fueled the emerging field of tissue-engineered 3D cultures, also referred to as organs-on-chips, or microphysiological systems (MPSs). We have developed a novel fluidic platform that interconnects multiple MPSs, allowing PK studies in multi-organ in vitro systems along with the collection of high-content quantitative data. This platform was employed here to integrate a gut and a liver MPS together in continuous communication, and investigate simultaneously different PK processes taking place after oral drug administration in humans (e.g., intestinal permeability, hepatic metabolism). Measurement of tissue-specific phenotypic metrics indicated that gut and liver MPSs can be fluidically coupled with circulating common medium without compromising their functionality. The PK of diclofenac and hydrocortisone was investigated under different experimental perturbations, and results illustrate the robustness of this integrated system for quantitative PK studies. Mechanistic model-based analysis of the obtained data allowed the derivation of the intrinsic parameters (e.g., permeability, metabolic clearance) associated with the PK processes taking place in each MPS. Although these processes were not substantially affected by the gut-liver interaction, our results indicate that inter-MPS communication can have a modulating effect (hepatic metabolism upregulation). We envision that our integrative approach, which combines multi-cellular tissue models, multi-MPS platforms, and quantitative mechanistic modeling, will have broad applicability in pre-clinical drug development., United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Grant W911NF-12-2-0039), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 4-UH3-TR000496-03)

“Mice are not little people” – a refrain becoming louder as the gaps between animal models and human disease become more apparent. At the same time, three emerging approaches are headed toward integration: powerful systems biology analysis of cell-cell and intracellular signaling networks in patient-derived samples; 3D tissue engineered models of human organ systems, often made from stem cells; and micro-fluidic and meso-fluidic devices that enable living systems to be sustained, perturbed and analyzed for weeks in culture. Integration of these rapidly moving fields has the potential to revolutionize development of therapeutics for complex, chronic diseases, including those that have weak genetic bases and substantial contributions from gene-environment interactions. Technical challenges in modeling complex diseases with “organs on chips” approaches include the need for relatively large tissue masses and organ-organ cross talk to capture systemic effects, such that current microfluidic formats often fail to capture the required scale and complexity for interconnected systems. These constraints drive development of new strategies for designing in vitro models, including perfusing organ models, as well as “mesofluidic” pumping and circulation in platforms connecting several organ systems, to achieve the appropriate physiological relevance.

Cell separation technology is a key tool for biological studies and medical diagnostics that relies primarily on chemical labeling to identify particular phenotypes. An emergent method of sorting cells based on differential rolling on chemically patterned substrates holds potential benefits over existing technologies, but the underlying mechanisms being exploited are not well characterized. In order to better understand cell rolling on complex surfaces, a microfluidic device with chemically patterned stripes of the cell adhesion molecule P-selectin was designed. The behavior of HL-60 cells rolling under flow was analyzed using a high-resolution visual tracking system. This behavior was then correlated to a number of established predictive models. The combination of computational modeling and widely available fabrication techniques described herein represents a crucial step toward the successful development of continuous, label-free methods of cell separation based on rolling adhesion.

The field of polymer-based membrane engineering has expanded since we first demonstrated the reaction of N-hydroxysuccinimide ester-terminated polymers with cells and tissues almost two decades ago. One remaining obstacle, especially for conjugation of polymers to cells, has been that exquisite control over polymer structure and functionality has not been used to influence the behavior of cells. Herein, we describe a multifunctional atom transfer radical polymerization initiator and its use to synthesize water-soluble polymers that are modified with bisphosphonate side chains and then covalently bound to the surface of live cells. The polymers contained between 1.7 and 3.1 bisphosphonates per chain and were shown to bind to hydroxyapatite crystals with kinetics similar to free bisphosphonate binding. We engineered the membranes of both HL-60 cells and mesenchymal stem cells in order to impart polymer-guided bone adhesion properties on the cells. Covalent coupling of the polymer to the non-adherent HL-60 cell line or mesenchymal stem cells was non-toxic by proliferation assays and enhanced the binding of these cells to bone.

Vascular inflammatory responses are intimately linked with oxidative stress, favoring the development of pre-atherosclerotic lesions. We proposed that oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and foam cell infiltrates in the subendothelial layer engendered distinct electrochemical properties that could be measured in terms of the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Concentric bipolar microelectrodes were applied to interrogate EIS of aortas isolated from fat-fed New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits and explants of human aortas. Frequency-dependent EIS measurements were assessed between 10 kHz and 100 kHz, and were significantly elevated in the pre-atherosclerotic lesions in which oxLDL and macrophage infiltrates were prevalent (At 100 kHz: aortic arch lesion = 26.7 ± 2.7 kΩ vs. control = 15.8 ± 2.4 kΩ; at 10 kHz: lesions = 49.2 ± 7.3 kΩ vs. control = 27.6 ± 2.7 kΩ, n = 10, p