Columbia University

Brian Michael Gillette

Samuel K Sia

Yuk Kee Cheung

Curtis D Chin

Ninna S Rossen

Spheroid microtissues that can mimic native tissue-like structure and function, spheroid production methods that are high-throughput, suitable for efficient production, maintainable over long-term culture, and/or offer repeatable control over size distribution. Spheroids that have blood vessels, including spheroids with functional, blood-perfused vascular networks upon injection in vivo. Dissolvable hydrogel microwell arrays for high throughput parallel formation of spheroids in a single pipetting step and easy retrieval for downstream applications. A method to produce prevascularized microtissues in sufficient numbers to form a macrotissue in vivo for therapeutic purposes. This method is based on sacrificial release of dissolvable microwell templates, a novel and scalable strategy which enables gentle harvesting of microtissues with control over size and composition. The method forms microtissues containing endothelial cells and mesenchymal stem cells, which are co-cultured under dynamic conditions and self-organize into blood-vessel units.

Injectable microtissue systems, devices, and methods

Provided are methods, pharmaceutical compositions, and kits for treatment of a metabolic condition, including obesity and type 2 diabetes by administration of a therapeutically effective amount of a cell or tissue preparation such as brown adipose microtissues to a subject, where the microtissues comprise adipose stem cells and endothelial cells. Modified approaches to creating brown adipose tissue involve differentiation of explanted white adipose tissue rather than isolation and expansion of adipose stems cells or endothelial cells and formation and differentiation of 3D cell aggregates.

Injectable brown adipose microtissues for treatment and prevention of obesity and diabetes

An extracellular matrix (ECM)-based scaffold suitable for artificial skin as well as other structures can be formed using a bioreactor fabricated with a pattern that introduces desired structural features, on the microscale and/or nanoscale, to ECM-precursors gelled in the bioreactor. The bioreactor can produce a finely patterned scaffold&#x2014;over clinically relevant size scales&#x2014;sufficiently robust for routine handling. Preformed ECM-based scaffolds can also have microscale and/or nano-scale structural features introduced into a surface thereof. ECM-based scaffolds may be formed with well-defined structural features via microetching and/or remodeling via 'contact degradation.' A surface-activated pattern can be used to degrade the ECM-based scaffold at contact regions between the pattern and the ECM. The produced ECM-based scaffolds can have structures of dimensions conducive to host tissue ingrowth while preserving the fibrous structure and ligand density of natural ECMs.

Growing community of inventors

Bronx, NY, United States of America

Brian Michael Gillette