ALTERNATIVES TO COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CELL CULTURE INSERT MEMBRANES AND MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES (POP:7/27/2020 TO 04/26/2021)

Cell culture tools expand our abilities to conduct research from studying basic properties to developing specific medical treatments. These tools work best when they reflect cell's and tissue's biological environment as closely as possible while maintaining high reproducibility and functioning well in today's high throughput laboratories. As such, cell culture is moving to 3D tissue models, focusing on their in vivo-like properties as opposed to earlier 2D culture. Degradable membranes are porous and can contain fibrillar structures similar to those found in nature, while also providing structural support to cells. As cells and tissue grow on a membrane, their extracellular matrix can fill the pores and replace the function of the degrading membrane, resulting in a free-standing tissue for experimentation. To that end, biodegradable membranes will be incorporated into a novel cell culture insert with designs that can be automated for manufacture and extended from 6 to 96 well plates or more. Electrospinning will be used to create nanofibrillar membranes of PCL and PLGA, well characterized biodegradable materials. Two designs will be investigated initially with a single cell line, and then subsequently, in a skin cancer tissue model to validate the insert.