A Hydrogel-Based Multiplex Coculture Platform for Retinal Component Cells

There is growing interest in generating in vitro models of tissues and tissue-related diseases to mimic normal tissue organization and pathogenesis for different purposes. The retina is a highly complex multicellular tissue where the organization of the cellular components relative to each other is critical for retinal function. Many retinopathies arise due to the disruption of this order. In this study, we aimed to generate a coculture model of retina-derived cells, namely RPE and Müller cells, in multiplexed 3D hydrogels. Using methacrylated gelatin (GelMA)-based 3D hydrogels, we compared the behavior of RPE and Müller cells when they were cultured together. These patterned multiplex hydrogels containing cells were cultured for several days to reflect how cells would reorganize themselves in the presence of another cellular component derived from the same tissue. Here, we present a multicellular multiplex platform for the creation of cellular networks with cells of retinal tissue that can be easily adapted to create more complex tissue-like alternatives for large-scale tissue modeling and screening purposes. We also present an alternative method of coculture by generating spheroids from one of the components while keeping the other component free and motile in the hydrogel. The latter model predicts enhanced possibilities of cellular interactions by retarding the movement of one of the component cells.