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A tissue of T cells

Nature Biotechnology volume 18, pages 714–715 (2000)Cite this article

The science of tissue engineering is built upon the principle that recreating in vivo microenvironments ex vivo will allow us to recapitulate the biology required for formation and maintenance of complex tissues. Investigators have used approaches such as local interstitial oxygenation to mimic capillaries, and continuous perfusion culture to mimic cardiac circulation1. One of the most intriguing, but also most challenging, approaches to tissue mimicry has been the use of three-dimensional matrices to recreate the appropriate spatial arrangement of cells in a tissue.

In this issue, Poznansky et al.2 describe a new method to recapitulate thymic development through engineering of an artificial thymic “organoid.” By seeding a three-dimensional metal matrix with thymic tissue extracted from mice, it was possible to mimic to some degree the native spatial organization of cells in the thymus. When human hematopoietic progenitor cells were co-cultured with the engineered thymic tissue, they efficiently generated mature human T cells with a wide range of T-cell receptor specificities. The T cells could be expanded by exposure to interleukin 2 (IL-2) and phytohemagglutinin. Their formation was markedly influenced by cell density and matrix size, highlighting the importance of spatial organization of the thymic cells for biological function.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. assistant professor Director of Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation,

    David L. Porter

  2. Francis C. Wood Professor and Chief of Hematology and Oncology at the Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, PA

    Stephen G. Emerson

Authors
  1. David L. Porter
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  2. Stephen G. Emerson
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Porter, D., Emerson, S. A tissue of T cells. Nat Biotechnol 18, 714–715 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/77270

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