Regensburg 2025 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 17: Poster Session II

BP 17.11: Poster

Dienstag, 18. März 2025, 18:00–20:30, P4

Engineering Shear-Thinning Hydrogels: A Dynamic Scaffold for 3D Tissue Culture — •Bruno Schmelz¹, Fen Li², Kai Zhang², and Timo Betz¹ — ¹Third Institute of Physics, University of Göttingen, Germany — ²Sustainable Materials and Chemistry, Department of Wood Technology and Wood-based Composites, University of Göttingen, Germany

Extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds are essential for advanced 3D cell culture systems, providing structures for cell movement as well as physical and chemical cues that promote migration, proliferation, and differentiation. Hence, the ECM is crucial for functional tissue formation. However, natural ECM materials used in vitro, such as collagen and elastin, are difficult to control regarding elastic properties, polymer mesh size, and homogeneity. Our objective is to design a dynamic hydrogel tailored to meet the specific requirements of 3D tissue culture, such as viscoelastic properties and cell-binding sites, that initially supports tissue formation but can be dissolved and replaced by cell-generated ECM. We propose a hydrogel with non-covalent cross-linking moieties that allow for reorganization by embedded cells, similar to the reorganization of collagen fibers in physiological tissues. We present the rheological properties of the hydrogels and the initial findings of cell invasion into them. When subjected to stress, the hydrogels exhibit a transition to a more liquid-like state, with the potential to solidify again upon stress relaxation. This behavior allows cells to remodel their surrounding matrix and shape their environment, as evidenced by experiments with cells cultured on the hydrogels.

Keywords: Dynamic Hydrogels; Tissue Engineering; Extracellular Matrix; Non-Covalent Cross-Linking