Pre-Conference Short Course - Thursday, November 17
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9:00-12:00 Scaffolds: Bridging the Gap between 2D and 3D*
Three-dimensional (3D)in vitro models aim to bridge the gap between standard two-dimensional (2D) cell-based assays and the in vivo environment. Scaffolds provide the foundation for this dimensional shift. Well-designed scaffolds provide the necessary local structural, mechanical, and environmental cues to direct functional growth. Additionally, scaffolds help preserve the bioactivities of the biomolecules helping control biomolecule distribution and release. This interactive short course is designed to provide practical solutions for moving from 2D to 3D. Build your scaffold expertise!
9:00 Opening Remarks
Mary Ann Brown, Executive Director, Conferences, Cambridge Healthtech Institute
9:10 Keynote Presentation: Silk Scaffolds
David Kaplan, Ph.D., Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University
9:50 Simple Microfluidics Techniques for Making Gradient Scaffolds
Matthew Hancock, Ph.D., Research Fellow, Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
We present simple microfluidics methods for producing centimeter long gradients in biomaterials incorporating soluble, material and particle gradients. The methods include a gradient technique that requires only a coated glass slide and a pipette. Demonstrated examples include a cell concentration gradient encapsulated in 3D within a biopolymer and a biomaterial exhibiting a gradient in cell spreading.
10:25 Networking Coffee Break
10:50 A Scaffold-Free Multicellular Three-Dimensional in vitro Model of Osteogenesis
Umut A. Gurkan, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Center for Biomedical Engineering, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology
The majority of current models used for investigating osteogenesis are limited to simplified 2-dimensional in vitro monolayer cultures with particular cell types or in vivo animal models with associated experimental complexities. There is a need for improved in vitro models that embody the multicellular and 3-dimensional (3D) nature of osteogenesis without the complexities of in vivo animal models. Bone marrow tissue consists of multiple cell types, houses the multipotent mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cells, and plays a major role in bone regeneration. Marrow has a unique microenvironment and inherently ossifies in vitro under basal conditions (i.e. without addition of excipient osteoinductive factors). Therefore the main objective of my studies was to harness the inherent ossification potential of marrow tissue and to develop a representative 3D, multicellular, scaffold-free in vitro model of osteogenesis. The outcome of these studies resulted in a system that presents a significant potential to be used as a convenient model of osteogenesis as an alternative to in vitro monolayer culture systems and in vivo animal models. This platform also holds potential for developing in vitro high-throughput drug screening models of osteogenesis for pharmaceutical research programs.
11:25 Discussion Panel with Speakers
12:00 Close of Short Course
*Separate Registration Required
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