Cell sheet engineering and rolling
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are widely used for the treatment of hematological diseases, as they are able to reconstitute the human blood system. In vivo, HSCs and their progenitors (HSPCs) are localized in and regulated by distinct microenvironments in the bone marrow, their so-called niches. Resembling their natural microenvironment using in vitro models, allows gaining insights about the processes and the cellular interactions of the different cell types in the niche. The current project is based on cell sheet engineering (CSE). The HSPC supporting endothelial and mesenchymal stem and stroma cells are cultured on surfaces coated with thermoresponsive polymers. These polymer coatings allow a temperature-triggered cell detachment, keeping the cells within their extracellular matrix. During detachment, both cell sheets (CS) are sequentially rolled on a gelatin- or hydrogel-coated rod to obtain a tubular 3D structure. After rolling, the CS are embedded in a hydrogel. The first seven videos show the procedure of CSE experiment (seeding of cells, coating of the rod for cell rolling, CS detachment and rolling, embedding of rolled CS and removal of the embedding mold). In the following video, the detachment of a MSC CS can be seen. The last two videos show a 3D reconstruction of a rolled CS as well as the cell morphology of ECs and MSCs inside a rolled CS.
