Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Leqian Yu, Yulei Wei, Jialei Duan, Daniel A. Schmitz, Masahiro Sakurai, Lei Wang, Kunhua Wang, Shuhua Zhao, Gary C. Hon, Jun Wu
Summary: The study developed an effective three-dimensional culture strategy to generate blastocyst-like structures in vitro which resemble human blastocysts. These structures, termed 'human blastoids', are readily accessible, scalable, versatile, and perturbable alternative to blastocysts for studying early human development, understanding early pregnancy loss, and gaining insights into early developmental defects.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Antonius Chrisnandy, Delphine Blondel, Saba Rezakhani, Nicolas Broguiere, Matthias P. Lutolf
Summary: The study investigated the influence of stress relaxation of the extracellular matrix on the formation of intestinal organoids, revealing that a stress-relaxing synthetic matrix promotes crypt budding through increased symmetry breaking and niche cell formation.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Satoko Sasaki, Tomoko Suzuki, Kyojiro Morikawa, Michiya Matsusaki, Kae Sato
Summary: This study introduces a new technique for fabricating microfluidic devices using microbial transglutaminase-gelatin gels instead of PDMS. The gelatin-based device with a coverslip as the bottom allows high-magnification observations and has been shown to have different cell dynamics compared to glass and PDMS surfaces. Co-culturing human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) resulted in blood vessel-like structures, and gelatin was found to be a suitable substrate for cell adhesion. The device's ability for high-magnification microscopic observation and easy sample introduction make it more convenient than traditional gelatin microfluidics.
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Clara R. Correia, Isabel M. Bjorge, Sara Nadine, Joao F. Mano
Summary: The emerging tissue engineering strategies focus on an integrative cell-material perspective to provide biochemical, geometrical, and biophysical cues while minimizing the use of biomaterials to promote tissue healing. Through a minimalist-engineering approach, the goal is to fine-tune the spatial balance of the regenerative niche to activate the key living components during the healing process.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Artem Eremeev, Lilia Belikova, Evgeny Ruchko, Egor Volovikov, Olga Zubkova, Alexy Emelin, Roman Deev, Olga Lebedeva, Alexandra Bogomazova, Maria Lagarkova
Summary: The iPSC-derived brain organoid technology shows great promise but still faces challenges in terms of consistency, maturation, and cost. Current protocols have room for improvement in addressing these issues.
JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Miri Adler, Arun R. Chavan, Ruslan Medzhitov
Summary: Animal tissues are composed of multiple cell types with different relationships, which play a critical role in understanding tissue biology. By introducing the concept of cell categories, we can explore the modular principles and different tissue modules, such as composition, structure, and function. Cell diversity and relations provide a new perspective on the underlying principles of tissue organization in health and disease.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Haiyan Xiang, Yueshao Zheng, Yang Chen, Yanting Xu, Travis Shihao Hu, Yexin Feng, Yu Zhou, Song Liu, Xuli Chen
Summary: In this study, atomic-thin transition metal dichalcogenides based composites were developed to investigate the role of carrier mobility in enhancing the activity of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The results demonstrated the key role of high carrier mobility and its strong dependence on HER performance under self-gating.
CHINESE CHEMICAL LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Alessandro Blasimme, Jeremy Sugarman
Summary: Human pluripotent stem cells have the potential to create in vitro models that mimic post-implantation human embryos. However, ethical concerns arise from such integrated embryo models, and it is necessary to address them in order to establish appropriate policies and regulations that support scientific innovation and medical progress.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Arinola O. Lampejo, Nien-Wen Hu, Daniela Lucas, Banks M. Lomel, Christian M. Nguyen, Carmen C. Dominguez, Bing Ren, Yong Huang, Walter L. Murfee
Summary: The development of biomimetic models bridges the gap between in vitro and in vivo assays, providing tools for studying microvascular dynamics. A key challenge is to recreate the functional complexity of a real network environment. Engineering design requirements and top-down tissue culture methods help achieve the matching of physiological function.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Optics
Ying Yue, Xixi Hu, Ruohui Wang, Xueguang Qiao
Summary: We report a nanoparticle self-assembled microdevice for generating photonic nanojets (PNJs). The microdevice has a controllable shape and curvature radius, and can produce PNJs with long decay length and working distance on an optical fiber. Experimental results show that the fiber-based PNJ exhibits significant fluorescence enhancement.
OPTICS AND LASER TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mingxing Lei, Hans I-Chen Harn, Qiwei Li, Jingwei Jiang, Wang Wu, Wei Zhou, Tin-Xin Jiang, Mengyue Wang, Jinwei Zhang, Yung-Chih Lai, Wen-Tau Juan, Randall Bruce Widelitz, Li Yang, Zhong-Ze Gu, Cheng-Ming Chuong
Summary: This study investigates the self-organization process of stem cells in organoids, specifically skin organoids, and identifies the involvement of a mechano-chemical circuit in this process. The research on skin organoids demonstrates that the morphological transformation from multiple spheroidal units to planar skin involves two abrupt cell motility-increasing events. This self-organization process is controlled by a morphogenetic module composed of molecular sensors, modulators, and executers.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Matthew Miyamoto, Lucy Nam, Suraj Kannan, Chulan Kwon
Summary: Organoids, especially in the context of cardiac biology, have the potential to revolutionize research in fundamental biological and pathological questions. Recent studies on cardiac organoids have focused on their development, structure, and function, providing new insights into congenital heart diseases and drug discovery for adult heart diseases.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Chiara Lago, Matteo Gianesello, Lucia Santomaso, Gloria Leva, Claudio Ballabio, Marica Anderle, Francesco Antonica, Luca Tiberi
Summary: This article describes a protocol for generating medulloblastoma and high-grade glioma organoids by electroporating cerebellum and forebrain organoids, and provides detailed procedures for drug screening, lineage tracing, co-culture, and in vivo assays. Human organoids derived from genetically modified cerebral organoids differentiated from hiPSCs have been shown to be a valid alternative model for studying brain cancer biology, genetics, and testing therapies. The protocol includes the generation of cerebellum and forebrain organoids, genetic modification, orthotopic transplantation, co-culture experiments, lineage tracing, and drug screening. The entire process takes 60-65 days for cancer organoid generation and 1-4 weeks for downstream applications. It requires at least 3-6 months of proficiency in hiPSCs culture, organoid generation, and procedures on immunodeficient mice.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tailin Chen, Yan Zhao, Xinbin Zhao, Shukai Li, Jialing Cao, Jun Guo, Wanjuan Bu, Hucheng Zhao, Jing Du, Yanping Cao, Yubo Fan
Summary: Morphogenesis is a dynamic process driven by a compression gradient caused by interfacial mechanical interactions. In tissues with low fluidity, the gradually intensified compression gradient triggers cell stratification; while in tissues with high fluidity, the compression gradient induces cell rearrangement and leads to 2D morphogenesis.
Article
Surgery
Eric Pion, Isabel Zucal, Johannes Troebs, Anna-Lena Feder, Thura Kyaw, Sopyay Khin, Paul Heidekrueger, Lukas Prantl, Silke Haerteis, Thiha Aung
Summary: This study utilized the chorioallantoic membrane model as an innovative and versatile training model for microsurgery and supermicrosurgery, which can reduce the use of animals. The model accurately simulates the anatomical and physiological features and has a high variety of vascular structures.
PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Shin-Ichiro Ei, Hiroshi Ishii, Shigeru Kondo, Takashi Miura, Yoshitaro Tanaka
Summary: The proposed method simplifies complex reaction-diffusion networks into effective equations with reduced integral kernels, showing the potential for different systems to exhibit similar spatial and temporal patterns.
JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Takeo Amemiya, Nobuhiro Hata, Masahiro Mizoguchi, Ryuji Yokokawa, Yoichiro Kawamura, Ryusuke Hatae, Yuhei Sangatsuda, Daisuke Kuga, Yutaka Fujioka, Kosuke Takigawa, Yojiro Akagi, Koji Yoshimoto, Koji Iihara, Takashi Miura
Summary: The study established a vasculogenic model using HUVECs and hLFs, which revealed the impact of GBM cells on HUVECs and identified KNS1451 as having a unique effect on HUVECs transformation, demonstrating its mesenchymal subtype of GBM.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Yoshikazu Kameda, Surachada Chuaychob, Miwa Tanaka, Yang Liu, Ryu Okada, Kazuya Fujimoto, Takuro Nakamura, Ryuji Yokokawa
Summary: This study proposes a new method for culturing 3D tissues directly on an 'on-chip vascular bed', overcoming the limitations in size, culture period, and maturity. The method utilizes a removable membrane and a preformed vascular bed to enable the direct settling of the tissue. This in vitro system offers a new technique for evaluating the effects of vasculature on 3D tissues.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shinya Yuge, Koichi Nishiyama, Yuichiro Arima, Yasuyuki Hanada, Eri Oguri-Nakamura, Sanshiro Hanada, Tomohiro Ishii, Yuki Wakayama, Urara Hasegawa, Kazuya Tsujita, Ryuji Yokokawa, Takashi Miura, Toshiki Itoh, Kenichi Tsujita, Naoki Mochizuki, Shigetomo Fukuhara
Summary: Blood flow-driven intraluminal pressure (IP) plays a crucial role in regulating wound angiogenesis. F-BAR proteins TOCA1 and CIP4 are key actin regulatory proteins that control endothelial cell migration and sense mechanical cell stretching to regulate wound angiogenesis.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Chanikarn Chantarasrivong, Ryu Okada, Yuuki Yamane, Xue Yang, Yuriko Higuchi, Miku Konishi, Naoko Komura, Hiromune Ando, Ryuji Yokokawa, Fumiyoshi Yamashita
Summary: Tumor spheroids with a perfusable vascular network were constructed to evaluate drug delivery systems targeting tumor vasculature. The results suggest that 3'-CE sLeX mimic liposomes are a promising carrier for targeting tumor vasculature, and proinflammatory cytokine treatment may be beneficial in pharmacokinetic studies.
DRUG METABOLISM AND PHARMACOKINETICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wataru Morita, Naoki Morimoto, Keishi Otsu, Takashi Miura
Summary: This study explores the differences in morphology and development of upper and lower molars in mice using a pattern formation model based on reaction-diffusion system. The researchers found that the complexity of cusp cross-sections can distinguish between different types of molar morphologies, and mice have stripe-like upper molars and spot-like lower molars. The computational modeling incorporating empirical data also traced the order of cusp formation and relative position of the cusps in mice, leading to a proposed hypothetical framework for the understanding of the evolutionary variability of mammalian molars.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hang Zhou, Wonyeong Jung, Tamanna Ishrat Farhana, Kazuya Fujimoto, Taeyoon Kim, Ryuji Yokokawa
Summary: Collective motion is a common phenomenon in nature, and it is mainly driven by dynamic collisions and alignments of cytoskeleton filaments. The study found that the persistence length of microtubules significantly affects their collective motion, with higher persistence leading to enhanced bundling. An agent-based computational model confirmed that the rigidity-dependent durability of microtubule alignment dominates their collective behavior.
Article
Biology
Miki Inoue, Takashi Baba, Fumiya Takahashi, Miho Terao, Shogo Yanai, Yuichi Shima, Daisuke Saito, Kei Sugihara, Takashi Miura, Shuji Takada, Mikita Suyama, Yasuyuki Ohkawa, Ken-ichirou Morohashi
Summary: This study reveals the transient expression of Tmsb10 in FLC progenitors through single-cell RNA sequencing, and demonstrates that PDGF regulates FLC differentiation through two pathways. It unveils the molecular process of FLC differentiation induced cooperatively by DHH and PDGF.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Yuji Nashimoto, Rei Mukomoto, Takuto Imaizumi, Takato Terai, Shotaro Shishido, Kosuke Ino, Ryuji Yokokawa, Takashi Miura, Kunishige Onuma, Masahiro Inoue, Hitoshi Shiku
Summary: Microphysiological systems (MPSs) with three-dimensional (3D) cultured models have the potential to mimic human health and disease conditions. This study designed a microfluidic device with sensor capabilities to analyze oxygen metabolism in vascularized 3D tissue models. The platform was able to integrate a perfusable vascular network with 3D cultured cells and monitor changes in oxygen metabolism in a quantitative, non-invasive, and real-time manner.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Kazuya Fujimoto, Scott Erickson, Masamune Nakayama, Hiroki Ihara, Kei Sugihara, Yuji Nashimoto, Koichi Nishiyama, Takashi Miura, Ryuji Yokokawa
Summary: Blood vessel morphology is influenced by mechanical and biochemical cues, such as flow-induced shear stress and pericytes. This study reveals that angiogenesis occurs at locations with relatively low shear stresses (0.5-1.5 dyn cm(-2)) and that pericytes regulate vascular diameter. Furthermore, inhibiting platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta decreases pericyte coverage without affecting vessel diameter.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Maneesha Shaji, Atsuya Kitada, Kazuya Fujimoto, Stanislav L. Karsten, Ryuji Yokokawa
Summary: The development of robust and stable three-dimensional microvasculature remains a challenge, and one overlooked factor is the presence of anti-angiogenic agents in culture media. This study investigates the concentration and temporal effects of sodium selenite on the morphology and functionality of preformed microvasculature. The results show that high concentrations have adverse effects on microvasculature, while even low concentrations have a long-term culture effect, increasing vascular permeability.
APL BIOENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Ryohei Ueno, Masahiro Kuninori, Takumi Sumi, Ramin Banan Sadeghian, Yuji Takata, Azusa Iguchi, Masahiro Tsuda, Fumiyoshi Yamashita, Kentaro Ichikawa, Ryuji Yokokawa
Summary: Microphysiological systems (MPS) are emerging as a technology for next-generation non-clinical drug screening. These microfluidic devices mimic the physiological functions of human organs and have the potential to reduce animal experiments, improve drug efficacy prediction, and lower drug discovery costs.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shintaro Miyazaki, Tetsuhisa Otani, Kei Sugihara, Mikio Furuse, Toshihiko Fujimori, Takashi Miura
Summary: This study quantified the shape of the MDCK cell-cell boundary and found that the Fourier transform of the boundary shape exhibits scaling behavior. The Edwards-Wilkinson equation, which includes stochastic movement and boundary shortening, can replicate this scaling property. The study also identified myosin light chain puncta as a potential factor in the stochastic movement and suggested that mechanical property changes may play a role in boundary shortening. The physiological significance and scaling properties of the cell-cell boundary are discussed.
Article
Biology
Ramin Banan Sadeghian, Ryohei Ueno, Yuji Takata, Akihiko Kawakami, Cheng Ma, Toshikazu Araoka, Minoru Takasato, Ryuji Yokokawa
Summary: Recently, microphysiological systems have been used to model the renal proximal tubule. However, there is a lack of research on refining the functions of the proximal tubule epithelial layer. In this study, pseudo proximal tubule cells from human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived kidney organoids were combined and cultured with immortalized proximal tubule cells. The cocultured tissue showed improved levels of certain transporters, extracellular matrix proteins, glucose transport, and P-glycoprotein activity. The morphological characteristics and performance of the cocultured tissue, when exposed to human umbilical vein endothelial cells, were also analyzed and quantified.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
