Biomaterials – cells articles from across Nature Portfolio

Here, authors report demineralized bone paper-based in vitro osteogenic culture and assay platforms that replicate essential bone tissue complexity, osteoclast processes, and drug responses with high fidelity and predictive power.

Non-cell-permeable cryoprotectants exhibit cryopreserving effects by preventing intracellular ice crystal formation, but these can damage cells due to high osmotic pressure and dehydration. Here, the authors developed a poly(zwitterion) isotonic cryoprotectant that forms a firm matrix around cells that prevents the influx of ice crystal nuclei without the need for high osmotic pressure and dehydration.

Researchers establish an immortalized porcine preadipocyte cell strain for cell-cultured fat research and production, which can be cultured extensively. differentiated within 3D bioscaffolds to generate cell-cultured fat, and co-differentiate with muscle precursor cells, producing a pattern similar to real meat.

Constructing polymer-based mimics on the surface of cells has potential to manipulate cell behavior, but precise control of grafting sites is challenging. Here, the authors report a method for site selected radical polymerization on cell surfaces by metabolic labelling.

Bacteria-based living drugs can treat a broad range of diseases. This Review discusses challenges to the clinical translation of engineered bacterial therapeutics and how advances in synthetic biology and nanomedicine can help overcome them.

An article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports a synthetic designer matrix to investigate cell–matrix interactions.

During fibrotic diseases, functional tissue parenchyma progressively transforms into stiff, disorganized and non-functional tissue causing organ failure. The underlying multitude of interconnected changes in the cellular microenvironment can be investigated using bioengineered fibrosis models.

Over the last few years, there has been a shift towards the use of three-dimensional multicellular structures that more closely recapitulate native tissues and organs as tools to understand development, physiology and pathology.

A bioprinting approach that utilizes organoid-forming stem cells as a living ink within hydrogels guides tissue-scale self-organization to generate more realistic gastrointestinal and vascular tissue constructs.

In situ metabolic labelling and targeted modulation of dendritic cells has been achieved using a hydrogel system in combination with covalent capture of antigens and adjuvants, facilitating improved tumour-specific immune response.