Historically, general cell culture has been performed on flat, tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) because it is cheap, optically clear, and many cells grow well on it. In reality, however, living organisms are made up of an extracellular matrix (ECM) that presents physical structure and mechanical support to the cells. Adherent cells require ECM anchorage to proliferate and undergo normal differential function. TCPS lacks this three-dimensional (3-D) component and cells behave very differently on this flat, smooth substrate than they do in true biological settings. Not surprisingly, drugs developed using TCPS as an in vitro substrate experience a >99% failure rate in clinical studies. We demonstrate biomimetic scaffolds that provide more predictive results and are compatible with existing high-throughput formats.
The European Laboratory Research & Innovation Group
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