La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation

University of California

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute

Kristiina Vuori

Erkki I Ruoslahti

Shaochen Chen

Kolin C Hribar

Xuanyi Ma

Darren Finlay

Using 3D printing, a microwell is formed by providing a plurality of masks, each mask representing a cross-section of a layer of the concave structure. Progressive movement of a projection plane exposes a pre-polymer solution to polymerizing radiation modulated by the masks to define the layers of the microwell, where each layer is exposed for a non-equal exposure period as determined by a non-linear factor. In a preferred embodiment, a first portion of the masks are base layer masks, which are exposed for a longer period than subsequent exposure periods. Shapes of the microwells, which may include circular, square, annular, or other geometric shapes, and their depths, are selected to promote aggregation behavior in the target cells, which may include tumor cells and stem cells.

Method for fabrication of microwells for controlled formation of 3-dimensional multicellular-shapes

The present invention provides compositions and methods for promoting cell migration and tissue regeneration. The composition contains a ligand for the .alpha..sub.v .beta..sub.3 integrin and a ligand for the insulin receptor, the PDGF receptor, the IL-4 receptor, or the IGF receptor, combined in a matrix. The combination of .alpha..sub.v .beta..sub.3 ligand and growth factor produces an unexpected synergistic effect in enhancing wound healing compared with the effect of each component separately. The present invention also provides a method of wound healing and a method of inducing tissue regeneration by applying the compositions of the present invention to the site of the wound.

Cooperative combinations of ligands contained within a matrix

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La Jolla, CA, United States of America

Kristiina Vuori