Reticulated hyaluronan hydrogels: a model for examining cancer cell invasion in 3D

Abstract The extracellular polysaccharide hyaluronan (HA) controls cell migration, differentiation and proliferation, and contributes to the invasiveness of human cancers. The roles of HA cell surface receptors and hyaluronidases (HAses) in this process are still controversial. In order to investigate their involvement in cancer pathogenesis, we developed a reticulated HA Read more…

Three Dimensional Tumor Engineering by Co-Culture of Breast Tumor and Endothelial Cells Using a Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel Model

Abstract Besides tumor cells, the microenvironment harbors a variety of host-derived cells. To date, the most successful tissue engineering approaches have employed methods that recapitulate the composition, architecture and/or chemical presentation of the native microenvironment. Thus tumor engineering in biomimetic three dimensional conditions represents a dynamic cooperatively between different cell Read more…

Survival of cord blood haematopoietic stem cells in a hyaluronan hydrogel for ex vivo biomimicry

Abstract Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and haematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) grow in a specified niche in close association with the microenvironment, the so‐called ‘haematopoietic niche’. Scaffolds have been introduced to overcome the liquid culture limitations, mimicking the presence of the extracellular matrix (ECM). In the present study the hyaluronic acid Read more…

Hyaluronan hydrogel: An appropriate three-dimensional model for evaluation of anticancer drug sensitivity

Abstract The extracellular polysaccharide hyaluronan (HA) controls cell migration, differentiation and proliferation, and contributes to the invasiveness of human cancers. In order to investigate the sensitivity of cancer cells to antimitotic agents, we developed a cross-linked HA hydrogel, a three-dimensional matrix in which cells can invade and grow. We have Read more…