Research progress of the three-dimensional(3D) multicellular structure formation via self-assembly of cells toward tissue engineering

Abstract

Multicellular structures are organisms consisting of cell populations, and constructing multicellular structure is of great importance for the development of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The use of self-organization processes in three-dimensional (3D) culture is receiving increased attention for bio-manufacturing and regenerating injured tissue. This review covers the research work on the fundamental and key techniques regarding 3D cellular self-assembly. It includes the 3D culture of cells inside bio- compatible hydrogels, controllable formation of 3D multicellular structure, and the associated Turing reaction-diffusion mechanism. In order to further study the mechanism of 3D self-assembly of cells and find a reliable way to regulate this self-organization in 3D extracellular matrix with spatial gradients of the concentrations of exogenous and cell-secreted factors, this review at last proposes to study the 3D models of cellular self-assembling inside structurally graded hydrogel, so that the development of rational regulation technology for 3D multicellular structure and tissue bud could be facilitated.

Keywords

• bionics
• bio-fabrication
• 3D cell culture
• structurally graded hydrogel
• 3D self-assembly of cell