Fiber-reinforcement of hydrogels promotes cell spreading and migration in 3D

摘要

This work introduces a synthetic biomaterial that captures the 3D and fibrous nature of stromal tissues. Holding bulk hydrogel crosslinking and stiffness constant, vastly different cellular responses were observed with fiber-reinforcement. This work documents the effect of physical guidance cues in 3D, and highlights the importance of capturing ECM structure in addition to bulk hydrogel mechanics. Given the ubiquity of fibrous stromal tissues throughout the body, the material system established here could enable new tissue- and disease-specific models. Future studies will explore how fibrous cues affect 3D cellular processes in angiogenesis, wound healing, and disease processes such as cancer.