Osteomatrix as a personalized 3D tissue-specific invasion test-bed for oral carcinoma.

The clinical challenge in the successful management of oral cancer malignancy remains in the inaccuracy of detecting regional invasion potential and inefficient treatment of recurrent tumors. The presence and extent of bone invasion by the oral tumor are of critical importance as they can influence the preoperative strategy altering the prognosis outcome. Here, we are examining the patient-specific osteotropism of oral carcinoma using a bone derived extracellular matrix. The extracellular matrix (ECM) was obtained from caprine bone by a combination of demineralization, delipidation and decellularization (D3) techniques. The bone D3-derived ECM (BdECM) tissue was characterized for analyzing the effective removal of cells, minerals, and lipids with an intact structure and chemical composition. The human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) on the osteomatrix (BdECM derived hydrogel) exhibited excellent cell viability and early osteogenic differentiation capacity in vitro. Furthermore, the osteomatrix polarized monocytes towards an anti-inflammatory phenotype (M2 macrophage) indicating its low immunogenicity. In the second phase of this study, we isolated and established primary cancer cell cultures from patient-derived tissue exhibiting the cancer stem cell marker phenotype (EpCAM+/CD44high/CD24-). Moreover, the presence of side population (SP) cells confirmed a contributing factor for resistance to cancer therapy. The spheroid formed from primary cells embedded in the osteomatrix was used as a test-bed to monitor the invasion profile and screening of anti-cancer drugs. Our 3D test platform captured the inter-patient heterogeneity by displaying variation in the degree of invasion and response towards tested doses of anticancer drugs. Altogether, our data emphasize the necessity of a tissue-specific in vitro preclinical model for the evaluation of oral carcinogenesis and drug sensitivity.

Recent approaches in clinical applications of 3D printing in neonates and pediatrics.

Neonates and pediatric populations are vulnerable subjects in terms of health. Proper screening and early optimal treatment would reduce infant and child mortality, improving the quality of life. Researchers and clinicians all over the world are in pursuit of innovations to improve the medical care delivery system. Infant morphometrics changes drastically due to the rapid somatic growth in infancy and childhood, demanding for patient-specific customization of treatment intervention accordingly. 3D printing is a radical technology that allows the generation of physical 3D products from digital images and addresses the patient-specific requirement. The combination of cost-effective and on-demand customization offers a boundless opportunity for the enhancement of neonates and pediatric health.Conclusion: The advanced technology of 3D printing proposes a pioneering breakthrough in bringing physiologically and anatomically appropriate treatment strategies addressing the unmet needs of child health problems. What is Known: • The potential application of 3D printing is observed across a multitude of fields within medicine and surgery. • The unprecedented effect of this technology on pediatric healthcare is still very much a work in progress. What is New: • The recent clinical applications of 3D printing provide better treatment modalities to infants and children. • The review provides an overview of the comparison between conventional treatment methods and 3DP regarding specific applications.

Degradation of Poly(ε-caprolactone) and bio-interactions with mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

Bio-inspired scaffolds in bone tissue engineering using multipotential mesenchymal stem cells grow at a rapid rate found its successful use in orthopedic injury treatment. Poly(ε-caprolactone)/PCL is widely used in medical devices, tissue engineering, and drug delivery systems. Most desirable property of biodegradable polymer to be employed in medical application is synchronization of degradation with functional tissue regeneration. Limited studies have incorporated the degradation kinetics and implication of degradation products of pure unmodified PCL. The present study analyzes short term in vitro degradation profile of PCL films in physiological condition. The study reports weight loss, changes in molecular weight distribution and morphological variation in PCL thin film over a period of 90-day degradation. When the degradable material is in contact with host tissue, there exists robust and dynamic microenvironment controlling the cell functionality. To comprehend the biocompatibility aspects of polymer material, the study considered mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) as model system mimicking in vivo. There was no indication of toxicity revealed with MTT, LDH leakage, direct contact assay and clonogenic assay. Absence of oxidative stress and apoptosis denotes BMSCs functional integrity sustained upon exposure to PCL degradation products. Cell cycle analysis and DNA ladder assay confirmed cell survival and genomic stability. The study revealed that the topography of pure unmodified PCL surface is suitable for cell adhesion. It was also observed that the viability of differentiated cells (osteoblasts) was maintained in presence of PCL extract. Furthermore, polymer and its degradation products were proved to be hemocompatible. These results synergistically suggest that pure unmodified PCL and its degradation products are non-toxic at molecular level.