Cell sheet technology relies on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PIPAAm)-grafted temperature-responsive culture dishes (TRCDs) that facilitate cell adhesion and growth on these surfaces in culture at 37 degrees C. Below the PIPAAm lower critical solution temperature, 32 degrees C, cells spontaneously detach as confluent sheets without the damaging enzymes necessary for standard cell harvest. These cell sheets maintain the natural extracellular matrix (ECM), cell-cell junctions, and surface proteins that are broken or damaged during traditional enzymatic detachment methods. Retention of the ECM allows the cell sheets to be manipulated and spontaneously adhere when transplanted, ensuring localization and retention of cells at the transplantation site and negating the need for scaffold support materials. This cell sheet technology is applicable to a wide range of disease treatments and has shown clinical success in regenerating a variety of tissues in vivo.
CELL SHEET TISSUE ENGINEERING
Temperature-mediated Cell Sheet Harvest | Cell Sheet Cross-section (H&E) |
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