Research Terms
Mechanical Engineering Aerospace Engineering
This automated 3D-cell-culture platform enables industrial-scale manufacturing of high-quality tissue cells. The culture conditions can control cell phenotype, gene expression, and stem-cell differentiation. As tissue engineering and 3D bioprinting technologies improve, current cell manufacturing methods will be unable to meet the high-volume requirements for producing functional living cells used to build tissue constructs and eventually organs. Available 2D cell factories greatly increase productivity, but these have limited cell capacity and require human support that prevents production at an industrial scale. Additionally, the adhesion of cells to tissue culture plastic in 2D vessels and 3D bioreactors alters their phenotype and drives stem cell differentiation, which limits cell quality.
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed an automated 3D-cell-culture manufacturing system for large-scale production of high-quality cells. With this system, the biomanufacturing industry can achieve high-volume production of living cells for applications in drug screening, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.
Automated manufacturing system capable of mass-producing high-quality tissue cells
This cell manufacturing system uses packed microgels as a 3D printing media for designing extracellular matrix (ECM) structures that contain cells. The microgels swell in liquid culture media to form a packed granular gel. Using the 3D growth medium, an automatic cell culture-manufacturing loop can print 3D cellular structures and incubate them in a perfusion bioreactor, as well as process and re-print them to expand cell populations. The porous microgel packs facilitate liquid perfusion for exchanging nutrients and waste, which controls cell viability and metabolism. Additionally, the 3D ECM microenvironment preserves cell phenotype, gene expression profiles, and stem-cell pluripotency, making it easier to produce high-quality cells with desired properties.
This bioreactor enables the 3D printing and maintenance of living cells via the perfusion of nutrients driven by capillary forces through a standard well plate. 3D cell culture technology has grown rapidly in the past several years with many advantages over 2D cell culture, including allowing researchers and doctors to create bio-realistic microenvironments that are used for bioprinting cells and testing medical treatments. The global 3D cell culture market was estimated at $1.5 billion in 2020 and is predicted to continue growing. Available 3D cell culture systems use polymer scaffolds to allow fluid perfusion, but these systems do not provide access for microscopy and can only maintain viable cells for a few days.
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a perfusion bioreactor that actively delivers nutrients and removes toxic cellular waste via capillary forces. This perfusion bioreactor allows cells to live longer and enables the testing of cellular responses to specific drug therapies.
This perfusion bioreactor delivers nutrients and removes cellular waste using capillary forces for 3D cell culture and cell printing
This perfusion bioreactor for 3D cell culture and cell printing delivers nutrients to cells and removes cellular waste using capillary forces. Fluid is fed by gravity through a narrow opening or microbeads into a traditional well plate containing a liquid-like 3D cell growth medium. As the fluid rises within the well, it connects with a narrow channel and is drawn via capillary forces into a larger, three-dimensional capillary network.
These nontoxic biomedical implants stabilize fractures or temporarily assist the healing of damaged bone. The body safely absorbs these devices once they are no longer needed. Composed of a magnesium alloy that contains calcium and strontium, these implants not only mimic natural bone's mechanical properties, but also promote osteoblast cell function to speed recovery times. When certain orthopedic problems do not respond to conservative treatment, surgical implants can reduce pain and increase mobility. In developed countries, an aging population and increasing obesity rates fuel the need for more of these types of surgical interventions. Forecasts project the global orthopedic implants market to reach $6.2 billion by 2024. Researchers at the University of Florida have developed nontoxic implants that dissolve completely once the body has repaired itself. The implants also promote faster healing times and decreased risk to healthy bone tissue from "stress shielding," where overly rigid implants absorb the stress that bones need to retain their strength.
Nontoxic magnesium alloy implants that stabilize fractures and promote new bone growth before dissolving
University of Florida researchers have invented a nontoxic magnesium alloy for biomedical applications that contains smaller amounts of calcium and strontium. While pure magnesium’s softness causes premature degradation, adding too much calcium or strontium leads to an overly rigid implant. Careful design has resulted in a final product that accurately mimics real bone tissue’s mechanical properties.
