A microfluidic method for creating poly(Ethylene glycol) gradient microgel scaffolds to modulate human mesenchymal stem cell behavior
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2019 Omnipress - All rights reserved. Statement of Purpose: Stem cell fate is influenced by the biochemical and biophysical cues presented by the extracellular matrix (ECM), and there is high interest in developing tissue engineering scaffolds with controlled heterogeneity to direct stem cell behavior. Assembling microgels into 3D tissue engineering scaffolds is a unique approach to address this challenge, as one key advantage is that this bottom-up strategy allows the incorporation of multiple formulations of microgels to generate spatial patterning of physicochemical properties. Random distributions or zones of distinct microgels in a single scaffold have been explored as injectable hydrogel systems. Here, we developed a microfluidic method to create poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) gradient microgel scaffolds by tuning the flow rates of two gel components, with the objective of modulating human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) behaviors by presenting physicochemical gradients in these scaffolds.
