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Title: Biofunctionalized gelatin hydrogels support development and maturation of iPSC-derived cortical organoids
Human neural organoid models have become an important tool for studying neurobiology. However, improving the representativeness of neural cell populations in such organoids remains a major effort. In this work, we compared Matrigel, a commercially available matrix, to a neural cadherin (N-cadherin) peptide-functionalized gelatin methacryloyl hydrogel (termed GelMA-Cad) for culturing cortical neural organoids. We determined that peptide presentation can tune cell fate and diversity in gelatin-based matrices during differentiation. Of particular note, cortical organoids cultured in GelMA-Cad hydrogels mapped more closely to human fetal populations and produced neurons with more spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents relative to Matrigel. These results provide compelling evidence that matrix-tethered signaling peptides can influence neural organoid differentiation, opening an avenue to control stem cell fate. Moreover, outcomes from this work showcase the technical utility of GelMA-Cad as a simple and defined hydrogel alternative to Matrigel for neural organoid culture.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2033800
PAR ID:
10557035
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Cell Press
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Cell Reports
Volume:
43
Issue:
11
ISSN:
2211-1247
Page Range / eLocation ID:
114874
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
Stem cell research GelMA Matrigel N-cadherin neural organoids peptide-functionalized matrices
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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