Three-Dimensional Culture of Cells and Matrix Biomolecules for Engineered Tissue Development and Biokinetics Model Validation

There has been considerable progress in cellular and molecular engineering due to recent advances in multiscale technology. Such technologies allow controlled manipulation of physiochemical interactions among cells in tissue culture. In particular, a novel chemomechanical bioreactor has recently been designed for the study of bone and cartilage tissue development, with particular focus on extracellular matrix formation. The bioreactor is equally significant as a tool for validation of mathematical models that explore biokinetic regulatory thresholds (Saha, A. K., and Kohles, S. S., 2010, “A Distinct Catabolic to Anabolic Threshold Due to Single-Cell Nanomechanical Stimulation in a Cartilage Biokinetics Model,” J. Nanotechnol. Eng. Med., 1(3), p. 031005; 2010, “Periodic Nanomechanical Stimulation in a Biokinetics Model Identifying Anabolic and Catabolic Pathways Associated With Cartilage Matrix Homeostasis,” J. Nanotechnol. Eng. Med., 1(4), p. 041001). In the current study, three-dimensional culture protocols are described for maintaining the cellular and biomolecular constituents within defined parameters. Preliminary validation of the bioreactor’s form and function, expected bioassays of the resulting matrix components, and application to biokinetic models are described. This approach provides a framework for future detailed explorations combining multiscale experimental and mathematical analyses, at nanoscale sensitivity, to describe cell and biomolecule dynamics in different environmental regimes.