Tissue cell behavior in packed microgel media

Investigating how tissue cells interact and assemble within controlled 3D environments may lead to an improved understanding of how structured cell assemblies emerge in vivo. However, the inherent limits of using solid scaffolding or liquid spheroid culture for this purpose restrict experimental freedom in studies of cell assembly. Here we investigate how mono-culture and co-culture populations of cells interact and assemble using a 3D culture medium made from packed microgels as a bridge between the extremes of solid scaffolds and liquid culture. In this presentation, I will present work investigating the shape-evolution of non-spherical mono-culture liver tissue models embedded in packed microgel culture media. Additionally, preliminary work investigating how endothelial cells interact with hepatocytes in more complex liver tissue models will be presented.