Inverse opal hydrogel scaffolds as lymphoid microenvironments for the study of immune cell migration and immunotherapy

Immunotherapies harness the inherent potential of the body to destroy foreign or infected cells, by stimulating new or enhancing existing immune responses. One way to boost insufficient native immunity might be to engineer lymphoid tissue at disease sites (e.g., tumors). Such neotissues could be formed by attracting or transferring immune cells into a defined microenvironment supportive of their activation. In addition to having therapeutic potential, such artificial lymphoid scaffolds could be used as in vitro models to investigate how immune cells respond to changing properties of their environment (e.g., architecture or biochemistry). We developed and tested macroporous poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel scaffolds as a platform for lymphoid tissue models and immunotherapy. By applying the method of colloidal crystal templating to materials and length scales appropriate for soft tissues, PEG hydrogels with arrays of ordered, interconnected pores were prepared. These combined the attractive properties of hydrogels, including biochemical versatility and tissue-mimetic mechanical properties, with the benefits of a macroporous structure, including improved nutrient transport and a defined space for cell interactions.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• Stachowiak, Agnieszka (Agnieszka N.)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Darrell J. Irvine.

• Materials Science and Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39542

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/39542