© Springer International Publishing AG 2017 245
A. Birbrair (ed.), Stem Cell Microenvironments and Beyond,
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 1041,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-69194-7_13
Chapter 13
Current Technologies Based on the Knowledge
of the Stem Cells Microenvironments
Damia Mawad, Gemma Figtree, and Carmine Gentile
Abstract The stem cell microenvironment or niche plays a critical role in the regu-
lation of survival, differentiation and behavior of stem cells and their progenies.
Recapitulating each aspect of the stem cell niche is therefore essential for their
optimal use in in vitro studies and in vivo as future therapeutics in humans.
Engineering of optimal conditions for three-dimensional stem cell culture includes
multiple transient and dynamic physiological stimuli, such as blood flow and tissue
stiffness. Bioprinting and microfluidics technologies, including organs-on-a-chip,
are among the most recent approaches utilized to replicate the three-dimensional
stem cell niche for human tissue fabrication that allow the integration of multiple
levels of tissue complexity, including blood flow. This chapter focuses on the
physico-chemical and genetic cues utilized to engineer the stem cell niche and pro-
vides an overview on how both bioprinting and microfluidics technologies are
improving our knowledge in this field for both disease modeling and tissue regen-
eration, including drug discovery and toxicity high-throughput assays and stem cell-
based therapies in humans.
Keywords Stem cell niche • Microenvironment • In vitro 3D models • Organoids
- Bioprinting • Tissue fabrication
D. Mawad
Faculty of Science, School of Materials Science and Engineering,
University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
G. Figtree
Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
C. Gentile (*)
Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
e-mail: [email protected]