3D models of the bone marrow in health and disease: yesterday, today and tomorrow

Annamarija Raic1, Toufik Naolou1, Anna Mohra1

  • 1Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Functional Interfaces, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.

MRS Communications
|April 2, 2019
PubMed

The complex interaction between hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and their microenvironment in the human bone marrow ensures a life-long blood production by balancing stem cell maintenance and differentiation. This so-called HSC niche can be disturbed by malignant diseases. Investigating their consequences on hematopoiesis requires deep understanding of how the niches function in health and disease. To facilitate this, biomimetic models of the bone marrow are needed to analyse HSC maintenance and hematopoiesis under steady-state and diseased conditions. Here, 3D bone marrow models, their fabrication methods (including 3D bioprinting) and implementations recapturing bone marrow functions in health and diseases, are presented.

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