| dc.description.abstract | High phenotypic heterogeneity in tumor cell population, especially with glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs), is one of the major causes of poor prognosis of malignant glioblastoma (GBM). Although in vivo drug screening using tumor spheroids and animal models can provide insights about structural heterogeneity, their inability to recapitulate the tumor niche and phenotypic heterogeneity limit their translation to the clinic. Development of an in vitro 3D bioengineered model that can recapitulate the native brain niche has the potential to study GBM malignancy. In the present study, we aimed to develop a reproducible bioprinting method to fabricate a physiologically relevant biomimetic GBM tumor model. Towards this aim, we synthesized a brain extracellular matrix (ECM) mimicking gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) bioink with modulated concentration of chondroitin sulfate (CS), a major source of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in the brain tissue. Bioprinted constructs of GBM spheroids with integrated brainspecific microenvironmental cues showed intact morphology, high viability and metabolic activity, and enhanced invasion. | |
