Difference between revisions of "20.109(S10):Testing cell viability (Day3)"
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==Introduction== | ==Introduction== | ||
− | Promoting appropriate cell life and death is a key part of tisssue engineering. When cells are put into contact with a biomaterial (or into any novel culture condition), their viability may be affected. Some materials are cytotoxic, i.e., deadly to cells. Often, cytotoxicity varies with the concentration of one or more of the chemical components (such as a cross-linker) comprising the biomaterial, and is more or less severe for different cell types. Cell density within a culture is another factor affecting cell livelihood, notably when the number of cells exceeds the nutrient concentrations available in the culture medium. In a 3D culture such as an alginate bead, sufficient nutrients and even oxygen may not be able to diffuse to the center of the bead prior to depletion by cells on the outer rim, even when at a high concentration in the bulk fluid. Finally, note that most cells require certain soluble and/or contact-dependent signals to remain viable. For example, immune cells called na ve T cells require the cytokine IL-7 and contact with self-MHC proteins for survival. | + | Promoting appropriate cell life and death is a key part of tisssue engineering. When cells are put into contact with a biomaterial (or into any novel culture condition), their viability may be affected. Some materials are cytotoxic, i.e., deadly to cells. Often, cytotoxicity varies with the concentration of one or more of the chemical components (such as a cross-linker) comprising the biomaterial, and is more or less severe for different cell types. Cell density within a culture is another factor affecting cell livelihood, notably when the number of cells exceeds the nutrient concentrations available in the culture medium. In a 3D culture such as an alginate bead, sufficient nutrients and even oxygen may not be able to diffuse to the center of the bead prior to depletion by cells on the outer rim, even when at a high concentration in the bulk fluid. Finally, note that most cells require certain soluble and/or contact-dependent signals to remain viable. For example, immune cells called na |