PHYSIOLOGICAL METHOD FOR THE GROWTH OF TISSUE IN VITRO

A THREE-DIMENSIONAL SYSTEM FOR THE GROWTH OF HUMAN TISSUES IN VITRO HAS BEEN DEVELOPED AT MARROW-TECH, INC. IN THIS PHYSIOLOGICAL METHOD, STROMAL CELLS ARE ESTABLISHED ON A SUPPORT MATRIX AND ACT TO PROVIDE A FOUNDATION FOR THE CONTINUED GROWTH AND DIFFERENTIATION OF CELLS. HISTOLOGICALLY COMPLETE BONE MARROW AND SKIN HAVE BEEN MAINTAINED IN LONG-TERM CULTURE USING THIS TECHNIQUE. THE HUMAN SKIN MODEL CONSISTS OF A DERMAL LAYER OF FIBROBLASTS AND NATURALLY SECRETED COLLAGEN AND AN EPIDERMALLAYER OF MELANOCYTES AND KERATINOCYTES. A DERMAL/EPIDERMAL JUNCTION IS PRESENT. THE HUMAN BONE MARROW CULTURE SYSTEM IS THE FIRST IN VITRO METHOD THAT SUPPORTS THE PROLIFERATIONOF ERYTHROID, MYELOID, AND LYMPHOID CELLS SIMULTANEOUSLY AND EXHIBITS ACTIVE HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL GROWTH. IT IS PLANNED TO FURTHER CHARACTERIZE AND MODIFY THIS SYSTEMFOR USE IN CYTOTOXICITY ASSAYS, IN ENGRAFTMENT STUDIES, AND IN THE IN VITRO STUDY OF VARIOUS DISEASE ETIOLOGIES. THE NEUTRAL RED ASSAY WILL BE EMPLOYED AS A CYTOTOXICITY METHOD FOR SCREENING VARIOUS TOXIC SUBSTANCES ON SKIN AND BONE MARROW SUBSTRATES. THESE THREE-DIMENSIONAL SUBSTRATES WILL ALSO BE USED TO EVALUATE THE MUTAGENIC EFFECTS OF VARIOUS TEST AGENTS.