O'Grady Brian J, Lippmann Ethan S
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Curr Tissue Microenviron Rep. 2020 Jun;1(2):41-47. doi: 10.1007/s43152-020-00003-y. Epub 2020 Apr 3.
Stem cells are exquisitely sensitive to biophysical and biochemical cues within the native microenvironment. This review focuses on emerging strategies to manipulate neural cell behavior using these influences in three-dimensional (3D) culture systems.
Traditional systems for neural cell differentiation typically produce heterogeneous populations with limited diversity rather than the complex, organized tissue structures observed . Advancements in developing engineering tools to direct neural cell fates can enable new applications in basic research, disease modeling, and regenerative medicine.
This review article highlights engineering strategies that facilitate controlled presentation of biophysical and biochemical cues to guide differentiation and impart desired phenotypes on neural cell populations. Specific highlighted examples include engineered biomaterials and microfluidic platforms for spatiotemporal control over the presentation of morphogen gradients.
干细胞对天然微环境中的生物物理和生化信号极为敏感。本综述聚焦于在三维（3D）培养系统中利用这些影响来操纵神经细胞行为的新兴策略。
传统的神经细胞分化系统通常产生异质性群体，多样性有限，而非观察到的复杂、有组织的组织结构。开发引导神经细胞命运的工程工具方面的进展能够在基础研究、疾病建模和再生医学中实现新的应用。
本文综述强调了工程策略，这些策略有助于生物物理和生化信号的可控呈现，以引导分化并赋予神经细胞群体所需的表型。具体突出的例子包括用于时空控制形态发生素梯度呈现的工程生物材料和微流控平台。
