LAUSR.org creates dashboard-style pages of related content for over 1.5 million academic articles. Sign Up to like articles & get recommendations!

Biomimetic Materials and Their Utility in Modeling the 3-Dimensional Neural Environment

Photo from wikipedia

The brain is a complex 3-dimensional structure, the organization of which provides a local environment that directly influences the survival, proliferation, differentiation, migration, and plasticity of neurons. To probe the… Click to show full abstract

The brain is a complex 3-dimensional structure, the organization of which provides a local environment that directly influences the survival, proliferation, differentiation, migration, and plasticity of neurons. To probe the effects of damage and disease on these cells, a synthetic environment is needed. Three-dimensional culturing of stem cells, neural progenitors, and neurons within fabricated biomaterials has demonstrated superior biomimetic properties over conventional 2-dimensional cultureware, offering direct recapitulation of both cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Within this review we address the benefits of deploying biomaterials as advanced cell culture tools capable of influencing neuronal fate and as in vitro models of the native in vivo microenvironment. We highlight recent and promising biomaterials approaches toward understanding neural network and their function relevant to neurodevelopment and provide our perspective on how these materials can be engineered and programmed to study both the healthy and diseased nervous system.

Keywords: materials utility; utility modeling; modeling dimensional; biomimetic materials; dimensional neural; environment

Journal Title: iScience
Year Published: 2019

Link to full text (if available)


Share on Social Media:                               Sign Up to like & get
recommendations!

Related content

More Information              News              Social Media              Video              Recommended



                Click one of the above tabs to view related content.