Fibronectin in Layer-by-Layer Assembled Films Switches Tumor Cells between 2D and 3D Morphology

Bioengineering Approaches for the Advanced Organoid Research

Recent advances in 3D cell culture technology have enabled scientists to generate stem cell derived organoids that recapitulate the structural and functional characteristics of native organs. Current organoid technologies have been striding toward identifying the essential factors for controlling the processes involved in organoid development, including physical cues and biochemical signaling. There is a growing demand for engineering dynamic niches characterized by conditions that resemble in vivo organogenesis to generate reproducible and reliable organoids for various applications. Innovative biomaterial-based and advanced engineering-based approaches have been incorporated into conventional organoid culture methods to facilitate the development of organoid research. The recent advances in organoid engineering, including extracellular matrices and genetic modulation, are comprehensively summarized to pinpoint the parameters critical for organ-specific patterning. Moreover, perspective trends in developing tunable organoids in response to exogenous and endogenous cues are discussed for next-generation developmental studies, disease modeling, and therapeutics.

Lens-Free Imaging as a Sensor for Dynamic Cell Viability Detection Using the Neutral Red Uptake Assay

Neutral red is a low-cost supravital stain for determining cell viability. The standard protocol relies on a destructive extraction process to release the accumulated dye for endpoint spectrophotometric quantification. We report a non-destructive, live-cell quantification of neutral red uptake using a compact lens-free system. Two light sources indentify the cell perimeter and quantify neutral red uptake. The quantification occurs during staining, thus eliminating the destructive extraction process and reducing assay time. Our system enables live quantification for continuous high-throughput screening of cell viability within confined spaces such as incubators.