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Synthetic Functionalized Scaffolds For Culture And Maintenance Of Primary Human Hepatocytes, Douglas Macpherson

Dissertations and Theses

There is deficit in the number of human livers that are available for transplantation. Additionally, there is no reliable model for the liver environment available for laboratory research. Tissue engineering provides alternatives for organ transplantation. We have created a supramolecular biomaterial out of simple peptide and saccharide building blocks to act as a hydrogel scaffold to support culture of liver cells. Using a self-­‐assembling peptide fiber decorated with functional molecules, we were able to culture primary human hepatocytes demonstrate their viability and maintenance of phenotype. The hydrogel material was formed by co-assembly in aqueous buffer and characterized using transmission electron …