MACROPOROUS CELLULOSIC SPONGE FOR 3D HEPATOCYTE-BASED APPLICATIONS

Abstract

A new class of soft hydrogel-based macroporous sponge made of cellulose derivative has been synthesized and investigated for several hepatocyte-based applications. The sponge has diffusible macroporosity yet very hydrophilic, soft mechanical stiffness as well as excellent versatility towards chemical functionalization. Chemical versatility of the sponge provides the ease of sponge tunability towards physically-stable as well as cleavable sponge. The sponge physical and chemical cues presented to hepatocyte induced rapid 3D hepatocyte spheroids formation thus preserved hepatocyte differentiated functions better than 2D conventional culture. Hepatocyte spheroids cultured in the sponge exhibited excellent utility as multi-well drug safety testing model and hepatitis C virus antiviral screening. Being chemically tunable towards cleavable synthetic sponge, the utility of this cellulosic sponge has expanded towards temporary 3D cell culture with the ease of spheroids/organoids retrieval.