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Special Issue “Extracellular Matrix Proteins and Mimics”
Acta Biomaterialia 52 (2017) iv
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Acta Biomaterialia journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/actabiomat
Editorial
Special Issue ‘‘Extracellular Matrix Proteins and Mimics” The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a highly complex cell-secreted biomaterial that is pivotal for normal development and maintenance of all tissues and organs of the human body. It is a three-dimensional structure composed of various organ-specific molecules that can be divided in structural proteins, matricellular proteins and proteoglycans, including glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which are primarily responsible for cell regulatory processes during physiological and pathological development and disease [1]. Although most of ECM proteins are well-described and characterized, their organ- or tissue-specific spatio-temporal distribution remains the focus of intense research. Unraveling this mystery will help in the design of clinically relevant bio-inspired materials and approaches utilizing these materials in order to repair or even replace damaged tissues and organs. ECM proteins and newly engineered ECM-like materials or ECM mimics hold great promise for the fields of drug delivery, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The ECM has been pursued as a biomaterial for decades in various forms and preparations [2]. Purified or recombinantly produced ECM proteins are preferably used as implantable biomaterials instead of the complete tissue or organ due to various functional and technical justifications [2], and because it has been demonstrated that decellularization, alone or in combination with freezing processes, impacts and pathologically alters ECM structures [2–4]. Native ECM proteins such as collagens, elastin, elastic fibers and elastic fiber-associated proteins, fibronectin, laminins, as well as heparin/heparan, chondroitin and dermatan sulphate GAGs provide beneficial chemical, physical and biological cues to cells. A promising alternative to native proteins is to design materials that mimic selected physiological properties of the ECM. ECM-like materials or ECM mimics can not only provide biochemical signals [5,6], their main advantages are that they are easily chemically conjugated, they can be designed to have tunable degradation rates and temperature responsiveness [3,7], and they can be reproducibly manufactured and scaled. These materials have also shown great potential as cell and drug carriers [3,5,6]. In detail, various hydrogels have been successfully used as cell carriers for cartilage repair therapy, or to deliver growth factors, antibiotics, as well as hydrophobic drugs [3,7]. Using ECM structural mimics, such as electrospun or knitted nanoand microfiber matrices, previously allowed to expose cells to a three-dimensionality within engineered in vitro or in vivo environments [7]. The contributions in this special issue of Acta Biomaterialia represent a selection of papers that were presented at the 9th European Elastin Meeting (EEM) 2016 along with other open submissions. The 9th EEM 2016 was held June 17–19th 2016 at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB) in Stuttgart, Germany. The meeting covered classical topics http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2017.03.029 1742-7061/Ó 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Acta Materialia Inc.
such as molecular and supramolecular structure of elastin and elastin-like peptides, elastic fiber-related molecules, elastic fiber diseases and advances in elastic fiber analysis approaches; as well as biomedical application-oriented themes such as elastic fibers and metabolism, elastin biomaterial production, biomechanics and bioactivity, and elastin-like materials and ECM mimics. In the spirit of the conference, this special issue aims to update researchers on the latest advances in ECM and ECM-inspired biomaterials research as well as to identify challenges and opportunities for the fields of drug delivery, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. References [1] M. Votteler, P. Kluger, H. Walles, K. Schenke-Layland, Stem cell microenvironments – unveiling the secret of how stem cell fate is defined, Macromol. Biosci. 10 (11) (2010) 1302–1315. [2] J.M. Aamodt, D.W. Grainger, Extracellular matrix-based biomaterial scaffolds and the host response, Biomaterials 86 (2016) 68–82. [3] S. Hinderer, S.L. Layland, K. Schenke-Layland, ECM and ECM-like materials – biomaterials for applications in regenerative medicine and cancer therapy, Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 97 (2016) 260–269. [4] K. Schenke-Layland, U.A. Stock, A. Nsair, J. Xie, E. Angelis, C.G. Fonseca, R. Larbig, A. Mahajan, K. Shivkumar, M.C. Fishbein, W.R. MacLellan, Cardiomyopathy is associated with structural remodeling of heart valve extracellular matrix, Eur. Heart J. 30 (18) (2009) 2254–2265. [5] L. Cai, S.C. Heilshorn, Designing ECM-mimetic materials using protein engineering, Acta Biomater. 10 (4) (2014) 1751–1760. [6] K.A. Kyburz, K.S. Anseth, Synthetic mimics of the extracellular matrix: How simple is complex enough?, Ann Biomed. Eng. 43 (3) (2015) 489–500. [7] S. Hinderer, E. Brauchle, K. Schenke-Layland, Generation and assessment of functional biomaterial scaffolds for the application in cardiovascular tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, Adv Healthcare Mater 10 (3) (2015) 034102.
Guest Editor ⇑ Katja Schenke-Layland Department of Cell and Tissue Engineering, Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, Stuttgart, Germany Department of Women’s Health, Research Institute of Women’s Health, University Hospital of the Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany Department of Medicine/Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Laboratories (CVRL) at David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA ⇑ Address: Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, Department for Cell and Tissue Engineering, Nobelstr. 12, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany E-mail address: [email protected]
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Acta Biomaterialia journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/actabiomat
Editorial
Special Issue ‘‘Extracellular Matrix Proteins and Mimics” The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a highly complex cell-secreted biomaterial that is pivotal for normal development and maintenance of all tissues and organs of the human body. It is a three-dimensional structure composed of various organ-specific molecules that can be divided in structural proteins, matricellular proteins and proteoglycans, including glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which are primarily responsible for cell regulatory processes during physiological and pathological development and disease [1]. Although most of ECM proteins are well-described and characterized, their organ- or tissue-specific spatio-temporal distribution remains the focus of intense research. Unraveling this mystery will help in the design of clinically relevant bio-inspired materials and approaches utilizing these materials in order to repair or even replace damaged tissues and organs. ECM proteins and newly engineered ECM-like materials or ECM mimics hold great promise for the fields of drug delivery, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The ECM has been pursued as a biomaterial for decades in various forms and preparations [2]. Purified or recombinantly produced ECM proteins are preferably used as implantable biomaterials instead of the complete tissue or organ due to various functional and technical justifications [2], and because it has been demonstrated that decellularization, alone or in combination with freezing processes, impacts and pathologically alters ECM structures [2–4]. Native ECM proteins such as collagens, elastin, elastic fibers and elastic fiber-associated proteins, fibronectin, laminins, as well as heparin/heparan, chondroitin and dermatan sulphate GAGs provide beneficial chemical, physical and biological cues to cells. A promising alternative to native proteins is to design materials that mimic selected physiological properties of the ECM. ECM-like materials or ECM mimics can not only provide biochemical signals [5,6], their main advantages are that they are easily chemically conjugated, they can be designed to have tunable degradation rates and temperature responsiveness [3,7], and they can be reproducibly manufactured and scaled. These materials have also shown great potential as cell and drug carriers [3,5,6]. In detail, various hydrogels have been successfully used as cell carriers for cartilage repair therapy, or to deliver growth factors, antibiotics, as well as hydrophobic drugs [3,7]. Using ECM structural mimics, such as electrospun or knitted nanoand microfiber matrices, previously allowed to expose cells to a three-dimensionality within engineered in vitro or in vivo environments [7]. The contributions in this special issue of Acta Biomaterialia represent a selection of papers that were presented at the 9th European Elastin Meeting (EEM) 2016 along with other open submissions. The 9th EEM 2016 was held June 17–19th 2016 at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB) in Stuttgart, Germany. The meeting covered classical topics http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2017.03.029 1742-7061/Ó 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Acta Materialia Inc.
such as molecular and supramolecular structure of elastin and elastin-like peptides, elastic fiber-related molecules, elastic fiber diseases and advances in elastic fiber analysis approaches; as well as biomedical application-oriented themes such as elastic fibers and metabolism, elastin biomaterial production, biomechanics and bioactivity, and elastin-like materials and ECM mimics. In the spirit of the conference, this special issue aims to update researchers on the latest advances in ECM and ECM-inspired biomaterials research as well as to identify challenges and opportunities for the fields of drug delivery, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. References [1] M. Votteler, P. Kluger, H. Walles, K. Schenke-Layland, Stem cell microenvironments – unveiling the secret of how stem cell fate is defined, Macromol. Biosci. 10 (11) (2010) 1302–1315. [2] J.M. Aamodt, D.W. Grainger, Extracellular matrix-based biomaterial scaffolds and the host response, Biomaterials 86 (2016) 68–82. [3] S. Hinderer, S.L. Layland, K. Schenke-Layland, ECM and ECM-like materials – biomaterials for applications in regenerative medicine and cancer therapy, Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 97 (2016) 260–269. [4] K. Schenke-Layland, U.A. Stock, A. Nsair, J. Xie, E. Angelis, C.G. Fonseca, R. Larbig, A. Mahajan, K. Shivkumar, M.C. Fishbein, W.R. MacLellan, Cardiomyopathy is associated with structural remodeling of heart valve extracellular matrix, Eur. Heart J. 30 (18) (2009) 2254–2265. [5] L. Cai, S.C. Heilshorn, Designing ECM-mimetic materials using protein engineering, Acta Biomater. 10 (4) (2014) 1751–1760. [6] K.A. Kyburz, K.S. Anseth, Synthetic mimics of the extracellular matrix: How simple is complex enough?, Ann Biomed. Eng. 43 (3) (2015) 489–500. [7] S. Hinderer, E. Brauchle, K. Schenke-Layland, Generation and assessment of functional biomaterial scaffolds for the application in cardiovascular tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, Adv Healthcare Mater 10 (3) (2015) 034102.
Guest Editor ⇑ Katja Schenke-Layland Department of Cell and Tissue Engineering, Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, Stuttgart, Germany Department of Women’s Health, Research Institute of Women’s Health, University Hospital of the Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany Department of Medicine/Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Laboratories (CVRL) at David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA ⇑ Address: Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, Department for Cell and Tissue Engineering, Nobelstr. 12, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany E-mail address: [email protected]