3D hepatic mimics - the need for a multicentric approach

Improved functionality of hepatic spheroids cultured in acoustic levitation compared to existing 2D and 3D models

Hepatic spheroids are of high interest in basic research, drug discovery and cell therapy. Existing methods for spheroid culture present advantages and drawbacks. An alternative technology is explored: the hepatic spheroid formation and culture in an acoustofluidic chip, using HepaRG cell line. Spheroid formation and morphology, cell viability, genetic stability, and hepatic functions are analyzed after 6 days of culture in acoustic levitation. They are compared to 2D culture and non-levitated 3D cultures. Sizes of the 25 spheroids created in a single acoustofluidic microphysiological system are homogeneous. The acoustic parameters in our system do not induce cell mortality nor DNA damage. Spheroids are cohesive and dense. From a functional point of view, hepatic spheroids obtained by acoustic levitation exhibit polarity markers, secrete albumin and express hepatic genes at higher levels compared to 2D and low attachment 3D cultures. In conclusion, this microphysiological system proves not only to be suitable for long-term culture of hepatic spheroids, but also to favor differentiation and functionality within 6 days of culture.

A decellularized matrix enriched collagen microscaffold for a 3D in vitro liver model

The development of liver scaffolds retaining their three-dimensional (3D) structure and extra-cellular matrix (ECM) composition is essential for the advancement of liver tissue engineering. We report the design and validation of an alginate-based platform using a combination of decellularized matrices and collagen to preserve the functionality of liver cells. The scaffolds were characterized using SEM and fluorescence microscopy techniques. The proliferation and functional behaviours of hepatocellular carcinoma HuH7 cells were observed. It was found that the decellularized skin scaffold with collagen was better for maintaining the growth of cells in comparison to other decellularized matrices. In addition, we observed a significant increase in the functional profile once exogenous collagen was added to the liver matrix. Our study also suggests that a cirrhotic liver model should have a different matrix composition as compared to a healthy liver model. When primary rat hepatocytes were used for developing a healthy liver model, the proliferation studies with hepatocytes showed a decellularized skin matrix as the better option, but the functionality was only maintained in a decellularized liver matrix with addition of exogenous collagen. We further checked if these platforms can be used for studying drug induced toxicity observed in the liver by studying the activation of cytochrome P450 upon drug exposure of the cells growing in our model. We observed a significant induction of the CYP1A1 gene on administering the drugs for 6 days. Thus, this platform could be used for drug-toxicity screening studies using primary hepatocytes in a short span of time. Being a microscaffold based system, this platform offers some advantages, such as smaller volumes of samples, analysing multiple samples simultaneously and a minimal amount of decellularized matrix in the matrix composition, making it an economical option compared to a completely dECM based platform.

Microneedle array facilitates hepatic sinusoid construction in a large-scale liver-acinus-chip microsystem

Hepatic sinusoids play a key role in maintaining high activities of liver cells in the hepatic acinus. However, the construction of hepatic sinusoids has always been a challenge for liver chips, especially for large-scale liver microsystems. Herein, we report an approach for the construction of hepatic sinusoids. In this approach, hepatic sinusoids are formed by demolding a self-developed microneedle array from a photocurable cell-loaded matrix in a large-scale liver-acinus-chip microsystem with a designed dual blood supply. Primary sinusoids formed by demolded microneedles and spontaneously self-organized secondary sinusoids can be clearly observed. Benefiting from significantly enhanced interstitial flows by formed hepatic sinusoids, cell viability is witnessed to be considerably high, liver microstructure formation occurs, and hepatocyte metabolism is enhanced. In addition, this study preliminarily demonstrates the effects of the resulting oxygen and glucose gradients on hepatocyte functions and the application of the chip in drug testing. This work paves the way for the biofabrication of fully functionalized large-scale liver bioreactors.

Point-of-use, automated fabrication of a 3D human liver model supplemented with human adipose microvessels

Advanced in vitro tissue models better reflect healthy and disease tissue conditions in the body. However, complex tissue models are often manufactured using custom solutions and can be challenging to manufacture to scale. Here, we describe the automated fabrication of a cell-dense, thick (≤ 1 cm), human vascularized liver tissue model using a robotic biomanufacturing platform and off-the-shelf components to build, culture, and sample liver tissues hands-free without compromising tissue health or function. Fabrication of the tissue involved 3D bioprinting and incorporation of primary human hepatocytes, primary human non-parenchymal cells, and isolated fragments of intact human microvessels as vascular precursors. No differences were observed in select assessments of the liver tissues fabricated by hand or via automation. Furthermore, constant media exchange, via perfusion, improved urea output and elevated tissue metabolism. Interestingly, inclusion of adipose-derived human microvessels enhanced functional gene expression, including an enhanced response to a drug challenge. Our results describe the fabrication of a thick liver tissue environment useful for a variety of applications including liver disease modeling, infectious agent studies, and cancer investigations. We expect the automated fabrication of the vascularized liver tissue, at the point of use and using off-the-shelf platforms, eases fabrication of the complex model and increases its utility.