Description
- Abstract:
- In order to effectively understand cellular processes, an in vitro model that closely models in vivo conditions must be first developed. Instead of studying cellular behavior in traditional two-dimensional (2D) culture, using a three-dimensional (3D) culture can provide an environment that more closely mimics in vivo conditions. Given the importance and wide applicability of 3D tissue culture, NASA scientists developed a bioreactor that presents simulated microgravity (SMG) and mimics the weightlessness experienced during space travel. Without the presence of gravity, cells in the bioreactor are allowed to maintain their 3D structure instead of flattening into a 2D monolayer, giving a more accurate representation of bodily conditions. Additionally, studies have shown the importance of substrate rigidity in mimicking cell behavior in the body. Using substrates of a stiffness more closely related to that found in vivo provides a more accurate depiction of cellular behavior as opposed to conventional culture surfaces such as glass.1 Due to their critical role in wound healing,2 this study focuses on the behavior of NIH 3T3fibroblast cells after being exposed to SMG in either 2D or 3D culture. Culture in 2D was also performed on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a biocompatible material with tunable stiffness, before exposure to SMG to examine the effect of substrate rigidity.
Citation
McClintock, Hayley,
"Investigating the response of fibroblasts to environmental forces: an in vitro platform to study migration and wound healing"
(2014).
Summer Research Symposium.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.26300/jtxv-3j80
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Summer Research Symposium
Each year, Brown University showcases the research of its undergraduates at the Summer Research Symposium. More than half of the student-researchers are UTRA recipients, while others receive funding from a variety of Brown-administered and national programs and fellowships and go …...