Summary
Published in Advanced Science (2022), this peer-reviewed study used 3D Petri Dish® micro-molds to form scaffold-free 3D microtissues. Full citation: Wilks, Benjamin T., et al. Quantifying Cell‐Derived Changes in Collagen Synthesis, Alignment, and Mechanics in a 3D Connective Tissue Model
Quantifying Cell‐Derived Changes in Collagen Synthesis, Alignment, and Mechanics in a 3D Connective Tissue Model
Research Overview
Fibrosis and cancer both dysregulate how extracellular matrix is synthesized, organized, and mechanically behaves, yet most in vitro models miss the multi-scale hierarchical architecture of collagen-rich tissue. This study seeded primary human fibroblasts into custom-fabricated 3D non-adhesive agarose molds to direct the morphogenesis of ring-shaped tissue constructs whose tensile and histological properties recapitulate fibrous connective tissue.
To characterize the transition from dispersed cells to a highly aligned, collagen-rich matrix, the authors integrated histology, multiphoton second-harmonic generation imaging, and electron microscopy, tracking structural changes in collagen as the tissue self-organized.
Key Discoveries
- Fibroblasts in non-adhesive agarose molds self-organized into ring tissues mimicking fibrous connective tissue
- Constructs reproduced tensile and histological features of native collagen-rich tissue
- Histology, second-harmonic generation, and electron microscopy tracked matrix alignment over time
