(NaturalNews) While glyphosate has been the primary target of global concern, there are still plenty of other harmful herbicides and pesticides on the market to be worried about. Atrazine, for example, is the second most popular herbicide in the United…
Posts Tagged ‘publication science’
This common herbicide used in the US was banned by the EU – linked to cancer, birth defects and more
This common herbicide used in the US was banned by the EU – linked to cancer, birth defects and more
(NaturalNews) While glyphosate has been the primary target of global concern, there are still plenty of other harmful herbicides and pesticides on the market to be worried about. Atrazine, for example, is the second most popular herbicide in the United…
Hopping over the Rabbit Hole: How Entrepreneurs Turn Failure into Success
Develop the Scaramucci mindset that drives entrepreneurial successHopping over the Rabbit Hole chronicles the rise, fall, and resurgence of SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci, giving you a primer on how to thrive in an unpredic…
New cholesterol drugs might target this protein
Scientists have identified a protein that binds to LDL cholesterol and helps transport it. Blocking […]
The post New cholesterol drugs might target this protein appeared first on Futurity.
Designer matrices for intestinal stem cell and organoid culture
Epithelial organoids recapitulate multiple aspects of real organs, making them promising models of organ development, function and disease. However, the full potential of organoids in research and therapy has remained unrealized, owing to the poorly defined animal-derived matrices in which they are grown. Here we used modular synthetic hydrogel networks to define the key extracellular matrix (ECM) parameters that govern intestinal stem cell (ISC) expansion and organoid formation, and show that separate stages of the process require different mechanical environments and ECM components. In particular, fibronectin-based adhesion was sufficient for ISC survival and proliferation. High matrix stiffness significantly enhanced ISC expansion through a yes-associated protein 1 (YAP)-dependent mechanism. ISC differentiation and organoid formation, on the other hand, required a soft matrix and laminin-based adhesion. We used these insights to build a fully defined culture system for the expansion of mouse and human ISCs. We also produced mechanically dynamic matrices that were initially optimal for ISC expansion and subsequently permissive to differentiation and intestinal organoid formation, thus creating well-defined alternatives to animal-derived matrices for the culture of mouse and human stem-cell-derived organoids. Our approach overcomes multiple limitations of current organoid cultures and greatly expands their applicability in basic and clinical research. The principles presented here can be extended to identify designer matrices that are optimal for long-term culture of other types of stem cells and organoids.