Article: Singh, A; “Biomaterials Innovation for Next Generation ex vivo Immune Tissue Engineering”, Biomaterials, 130: 104-110
Abstract: Primary and secondary lymphoid organs are tissues that facilitate differentiation of B and T cells, leading to the induction of adaptive immune responses. These organs are present in the body from birth and are also recognized as locations where self-reactive B and T cells can be eliminated during the natural selection process. Many insights into the mechanisms that control the process of immune cell development and maturation in response to infection come from the analysis of various gene-deficient mice that lack some or all hallmark features of lymphoid tissues. The complexity of such animal models limits our ability to modulate the parameters that control the process of immune cell development, differentiation, and immunomodulation. Engineering functional, living immune tissues using biomaterials can grant researchers the ability to reproduce immunological events with tunable parameters for more rapid development of immunotherapeutics, cell-based therapy, and enhancing our understanding of fundamental biology as well as improving efforts in regenerative medicine. Here the author provides his review and perspective on the bioengineering of primary and secondary lymphoid tissues, and biomaterials innovation needed for the construction of these immune organs in tissue culture plates and on-chip. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Funding Acknowledgement: National Science Foundation [DMR-1554275]
Funding Text: The author would like to acknowledge financial support from the National Science Foundation CAREER award (DMR-1554275 (A.S.)) for some of the results mentioned in this manuscript. The content is solely the responsibility of the author and does not necessarily represent the official view of the funding agency.