Cellulose nanofibril matrix drives the dynamic formation of spheroids

Cellulose nanofibril matrix drives the dynamic formation of spheroids Yi Lu 1 2 3 first-author Guo Li 1 2 Yeqiu Li 2 Yuan Yao 1 2 3 corresp yyao1@zju.edu.cn College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University,Zhejiang,Hangzhou,China,310027 College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University,Zhejiang,Hangzhou,China,310027 ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University,Hangzhou,China,311215 ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University,Hangzhou,China,311215 School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road,Shanghai,China,201210 School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road,Shanghai,China,201210 Multicellular spheroids, which mimic the natural organ counterparts, allow the prospect of drug screening and regenerative medicine. However, their application is hampered by low processing efficiency or limited scale. This study introduces an efficient method to drive rapid multicellular spheroid formation by a cellulose nanofibril matrix. This matrix enables the facilitated growth of spheroids (within 48 hours) through multiple cell assembly into size-controllable aggregates with well-organized physiological microstructure. The efficiency, dimension, and conformation of the as-formed spheroids depend on the concentration of extracellular nanofibrils, the number of assembled cells, and the heterogeneity of cell types. The above strategy allows the robust formation mechanism of compacted tumoroids and hepatocyte spheroids. Cellulose Nanofibril Matrix Self-Assembly Spheroid 10.1631/jzus.B23Z0003 2023-03-16 2023-05-08 2023-05-15 2023-05-15 37484800