To understand cell and developmental biology, we often take two approaches; either we culture cells in vitro on petri plates or we use experimental animal models. While animal models give us the complete picture, they have two important shortcomings. Firstly, the physiology of the model systems such as mice, zebrafish, fly, primates, etc. are often structurally and functionally different from human. Secondly, animal systems have ethical issues. Other than these two factors, animal models are often too complex to analyze in real-time. On the other hand, in vitro cultures severely lack complexities such as 3D architecture, varying rigidity, viscoelasticity, fluid flow, shear stress, stretch, and cell-cell contact typically found in tissue microenvironments. Hence, the research community needs a system which can mimic human physiology and pathophysiology efficiently, which is easy to use, and which has high correlation with human biology. In this collection, we wish to collect articles on such systems.
In the last two decades, many researchers have shown that the tissue microenvironment which consists of a milieu of biochemical and biophysical signals, play vital roles in governing cell functions and behaviours. Hence, it is important to incorporate these parameters into our in vitro model systems. To do so, people have proposed various approaches such as use of biomimicking materials, use of 2D and 3D micro- and nano-structures, tumoroids, embryoid bodies, organoids, and organ-on-chip systems to name a few. Researchers have also taken the system biology approach to mimic the in vivo system in silico. All such various bio-mimicked approaches have been used for basic research, drug discovery and drug screening. However, the field is still in its nascent phase and requires further developments. In particular, creating multi-factorial bio-mimicked systems which are simple to handle yet complex enough to mimic the function of human tissues is an open challenge.
This research topic welcomes a range of article types, including original research, review, perspective, hypothesis and theory articles. Welcome themes include, but are not limited to:
? Modified, supplemented, and/or enriched matrices for 3D organoid culture
? Functionalized biomaterials based biofabrication approaches for assembling complex organoid systems
? Towards microfluidic platforms with smaller volume and low shear stress flow (e.g. for neuronal applications), organ-on-chip models, and combining multiple systems to create human-on-chip systems.
? Bio-mimicked models such as 3D bioprinted organs used in cell biology and biomedical research
? In Silico approach to mimic human physiology
? Any novel fabrication approach/method to mimic in vivo microenvironment in vitro
? Approaches to facilitate the scalability and dissemination of organ on a chip technologies.
For a broader collection collating articles on advances in green biochemistry and minimizing the carbon footprint of research, which includes alternative models, see https://fro.ntiers.in/GreenBiochemistry
To understand cell and developmental biology, we often take two approaches; either we culture cells in vitro on petri plates or we use experimental animal models. While animal models give us the complete picture, they have two important shortcomings. Firstly, the physiology of the model systems such as mice, zebrafish, fly, primates, etc. are often structurally and functionally different from human. Secondly, animal systems have ethical issues. Other than these two factors, animal models are often too complex to analyze in real-time. On the other hand, in vitro cultures severely lack complexities such as 3D architecture, varying rigidity, viscoelasticity, fluid flow, shear stress, stretch, and cell-cell contact typically found in tissue microenvironments. Hence, the research community needs a system which can mimic human physiology and pathophysiology efficiently, which is easy to use, and which has high correlation with human biology. In this collection, we wish to collect articles on such systems.
In the last two decades, many researchers have shown that the tissue microenvironment which consists of a milieu of biochemical and biophysical signals, play vital roles in governing cell functions and behaviours. Hence, it is important to incorporate these parameters into our in vitro model systems. To do so, people have proposed various approaches such as use of biomimicking materials, use of 2D and 3D micro- and nano-structures, tumoroids, embryoid bodies, organoids, and organ-on-chip systems to name a few. Researchers have also taken the system biology approach to mimic the in vivo system in silico. All such various bio-mimicked approaches have been used for basic research, drug discovery and drug screening. However, the field is still in its nascent phase and requires further developments. In particular, creating multi-factorial bio-mimicked systems which are simple to handle yet complex enough to mimic the function of human tissues is an open challenge.
This research topic welcomes a range of article types, including original research, review, perspective, hypothesis and theory articles. Welcome themes include, but are not limited to:
? Modified, supplemented, and/or enriched matrices for 3D organoid culture
? Functionalized biomaterials based biofabrication approaches for assembling complex organoid systems
? Towards microfluidic platforms with smaller volume and low shear stress flow (e.g. for neuronal applications), organ-on-chip models, and combining multiple systems to create human-on-chip systems.
? Bio-mimicked models such as 3D bioprinted organs used in cell biology and biomedical research
? In Silico approach to mimic human physiology
? Any novel fabrication approach/method to mimic in vivo microenvironment in vitro
? Approaches to facilitate the scalability and dissemination of organ on a chip technologies.
For a broader collection collating articles on advances in green biochemistry and minimizing the carbon footprint of research, which includes alternative models, see https://fro.ntiers.in/GreenBiochemistry
