A Quiescent, Regeneration-Responsive Tissue Engineered Mesenchymal Stem Cell Bone Marrow Niche Model via Magnetic Levitation.

The bone marrow niche represents a specialized environment that regulates mesenchymal stem cell quiescence and self-renewal, yet fosters stem cell migration and differentiation upon demand. An in vitro model that embodies these features would open up the ability to perform detailed study of stem cell behaviour. In this paper we present a simple bone marrow-like niche model, which comprises of nanomagnetically levitated stem cells cultured as multicellular spheroids within a type I collagen gel. The stem cells maintained are nestin positive and remain quiescent until regenerative demand is placed upon them. In respond to co-culture wounding they migrate and appropriately differentiate upon engraftment. This tissue engineered regeneration-responsive bone marrow-like niche model will allow for greater understanding of stem cell response to injury, but also facilitate as a testing platform for drug candidates in a multi-well plate format.