Abstract Summary
Over 85% of patients in the United States who are in need of a transplant are waiting for
a kidney. Although dialysis is a temporary solution, it is often inaccessible to patients due to exorbitant costs. Mesenchymal stem cell and endothelial progenitor cell therapies have the potential to trigger signaling regenerative pathways of damaged nephrons through cellular secretions. Through this research, I developed a crosslinked gelatin and kombucha cellulose-based hydrogel to improve cell retention. Key unique features of the platform include tunable stiffness, integrated nanofibers, sustainably derived base polymers, and up to 10 times greater cost efficiency. 2%, 5%, 5% composite, and 10% gelatin hydrogels were synthesized and viscoelastic properties were characterized. Rheological characterization of the varying composite formulations' storage, loss, and complex moduli suggests that the novel platform developed can not only potentially be used as an adjunct in stem cell differentiation but are also suitable as a cell encapsulation material, platform for 3D culturing of diseased biopsy samples, disease progression modeling, and cell seeding constructs for transplantation.
