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Development of 3D In Vitro Models of Nerve and Skin for Disease, Disorder and Testing Studies
Author(s) -
Haycock John
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.13.3
Subject(s) - schwann cell , scaffold , peripheral nerve , biomedical engineering , animal model , keratinocyte , neuroscience , medicine , in vitro , pathology , anatomy , biology , biochemistry
Peripheral nerve injuries are common and the high level of cell death and lack of coherent orientation of regenerating axons without surgical intervention has lead to therapies using nerve guidance conduits (NGCs). NGCs are hollow tubes that act as a physical guide between the proximal and distal stumps, bridging the gap of the injury. They can be made from a variety of synthetic or natural materials and can incorporate cells to improve guidance. Current objectives focus on methods for improving NGC design and span: 1) the synthesis and characterisation of scaffolds for controlling the direction of neuronal and Schwann cell growth; 2) surface chemical modification for improving neuronal and Schwann cell integration; 3) 3D printing methods for making NGCs from degradable polymers and the development of 3D in vitro models of peripheral nerve. This work extends through to 3D skin models, where parallel techniques in scaffold fabrication, keratinocyte and fibroblast culture and imaging / detection methods have been developed as a basis for irritation and sensitization testing, with inflammatory marker analysis as an alternative to standard animal tests.