Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Development And Characterization Of A 3d Multicell Microtissue Culture Model Of Airway Smooth Muscle., Glenn Gaudette, Adrian West, Nishat Zaman, Darren Cole, Matthew Walker, Wesley Legant, Thomas Boudou, Christopher Chen, John Favreau, Elizabeth Cowley, Geoffrey Maksym

Glenn R. Gaudette

Airway smooth muscle (ASM) cellular and molecular biology is typically studied with single-cell cultures grown on flat 2D substrates. However, cells in vivo exist as part of complex 3D structures, and it is well established in other cell types that altering substrate geometry exerts potent effects on phenotype and function. These factors may be especially relevant to asthma, a disease characterized by structural remodeling of the airway wall, and highlights a need for more physiologically relevant models of ASM function. We utilized a tissue engineering platform known as microfabricated tissue gauges to develop a 3D culture model of ASM featuring …