Engineering Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels to Enable Ex Vivo 3D Culture of Patient Derived Xenografts and Associated Stroma in a Perfusable Microfluidic Platform

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dc.contributor.advisorGrande-Allen, K. Janeen_US
dc.contributor.advisorHarrington, Daniel Aen_US
dc.creatorBonteanu, Andreien_US
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-05T16:18:12Zen_US
dc.date.created2022-12en_US
dc.date.issued2022-12-02en_US
dc.date.submittedDecember 2022en_US
dc.date.updated2023-01-05T16:18:12Zen_US
dc.descriptionEMBARGO NOTE: This item is embargoed until 2024-12-01en_US
dc.description.abstractDespite the recent availability of physiologically relevant in vitro cancer models such as organoids and spheroids, two-dimensional (2D) monolayer culture and animal models remain frequently used in preclinical drug development. Current in vitro models used in industry are compatible with high-throughput screening, yet are unable to recapitulate tumor microenvironment (TME) heterogeneity, a critical need that this thesis aimed to address. The objective of this thesis was to engineer a hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel to enable three-dimensional (3D) ex vivo culture of patient derived xenografts (PDX) and associated stroma in a perfusable microfluidic platform amenable to high-throughput screening. To achieve this, I investigated the impact of tailoring hydrogel composition and network structure for cancer-relevant fibroblasts in a perfusable microfluidic drug- screening microplate. The first part of this thesis demonstrated the importance of tuning the hydrogel parameters of crosslink density, bioligand functionalization, and network degradability on fibroblast morphology and viability. This work underscored the importance of formulating a hydrogel that could maintain structural integrity for long-term 3D culture without negatively impacting embedded cells, providing a context for rational hydrogel design within the scope of high-throughput microfluidic screening platforms. After addressing the model extracellular matrix (ECM), I sought to recapitulate stromal encapsulation of prostate cancer cells by building a Core-Shell organization of fibroblasts wrapped by a uniform layer of fibroblasts. The second part of this thesis used this Core-Shell architecture to build a complex four-compartment in vitro metastatic prostate cancer model, consisting of prostate cancer PDXs, bone marrow derived fibroblasts, and monocytes alongside an endothelial microtubule within a perfusable microfluidic drug-screening plate. The representative nature of the model was achieved by the complexity of cell types represented, including heterogeneity inherent to the PDX cancer cell source. The interaction within this in vitro TME can be used to generate insight into how crosstalk between stromal and cancer cell compartments can impact cancer cell survival, a phenomenon that current simple 2D and 3D models do not have the capability to represent. Lastly, this work tested the feasibility of the model for drug screening on a diverse panel of PDXs using clinically relevant anti-cancer drugs.en_US
dc.embargo.lift2024-12-01en_US
dc.embargo.terms2024-12-01en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.citationBonteanu, Andrei. "Engineering Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels to Enable Ex Vivo 3D Culture of Patient Derived Xenografts and Associated Stroma in a Perfusable Microfluidic Platform." (2022) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/114223">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/114223</a>.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/114223en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.subjecthyaluronic acid hydrogelen_US
dc.subjectin vitro 3D cultureen_US
dc.subjectstromal architectureen_US
dc.subjectOrganoPlateen_US
dc.subjectPDXen_US
dc.subjecthigh-throughput drug screenen_US
dc.subjectprostate canceren_US
dc.subjecten_US
dc.titleEngineering Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels to Enable Ex Vivo 3D Culture of Patient Derived Xenografts and Associated Stroma in a Perfusable Microfluidic Platformen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.materialTexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentBioengineeringen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineEngineeringen_US
thesis.degree.grantorRice Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen_US
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