Stefanie Klostermeier

Bachelor Studentin

Adjustment of alginate based bioink properties for improved 3 dimensional dorsal root ganglion cell development

Betreuer: Vera Bednarzig, Rainer Detsch (Institute of Biomaterials), Roberto deCol, Prof. Dr.-med. Karl Meßlinger (Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology), Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini (Institute of Biomaterials)

Traditionally culture systems are used in two-dimensional culture dishes. As the cells grow in non-physiologically conditions, like the attachment to flat, stiff bottom surfaces, cells are forced to polarize and increase their exchange area to the culture media. This results in an excessive nutrition, strongly modified extracellular matrix proteins, wrong receptor orientation and as a consequence wrong signalling pathway. To approach these challenges, biofabrication like three- dimensional printing of very soft alginate hydrogels provides dorsal root ganglion cells a three- dimensional scaffold. The dorsal root ganglion cells (DRGs) contain afferent sensory neurons, which relay sensory information form the periphery to the spinal cord. Therefore primary pseudo unipolar DRGs are a commonly used model for nociception research like e.g. Neuropathic pain. This study will investigate alginate based bioink properties for improved 3 dimensional dorsal root ganglion cell development and it is carried out as a collaboration between the FAU Institute of Biomaterials and the FAU Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology.