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Biological tissues are built when cells anchor to specific sites on a 3-D microfiber network in an extracellular matrix (ECM). Scientists are keen to recreate biological tissues in the lab using bioinspired tissue engineering and genetic engineering, to form functional ECM motifs fused to recombinant silk proteins. Under adequate physiological conditions, bioengineered silk proteins and fibronectin-silk (FN-silk) can self-assemble into microfiber networks that mimic native ECM.
Spreading and expansion of cells within FN-silk compared to when encapsulated in an RGD-coupled hydrogel. (a) Representative graph (mean and standard deviation) of Alamar Blue viability assay showing metabolic activity of fibroblasts (HDF) within FN-silk foam (circle), a very low viscosity (VLVG) alginate hydrogel coupled with RGD (square), and a medium viscosity (MVG) alginate hydrogel coupled with RGD (triangle) during two weeks of culture. Insert shows a zoomed in view of the lower intensities. Statistics (students t-test at each time point): **** indicates p
Spreading and expansion of cells within FN-silk compared to when encapsulated in an RGD-coupled hydrogel. (a) Representative graph (mean and standard deviation) of Alamar Blue viability assay showing metabolic activity of fibroblasts (HDF) within FN-silk foam (circle), a very low viscosity (VLVG) alginate hydrogel coupled with RGD (square), and a medium viscosity (MVG) alginate hydrogel coupled with RGD (triangle) during two weeks of culture. Insert shows a zoomed in view of the lower intensities. Statistics (students t-test at each time point): **** indicates p 