Development of alginate- and hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel as coating for culturing neurons

With a stiffness of less than 1 kPa the brain is the softest organ in the body. We aim to generate a cell culture suitable matrix that resembles the mechanical properties of the brain ECM more closely than standard coating. For initial testing HEK- and NT2D1-cells were cultivated on hydrogels with different weight percent of alginate and hyaluronic acid. Imaging with CLSM and SEM indicate differences in cell morphology of cells that were cultivated on soft hydrogels, compared to the control group. Morphometrical analysis and broader characterization of hydrogel-grown cells in relation to the mechanical properties of the hydrogels will be done. We aim to use this approach to further improve the differentiation of iPSC derived neuronal stem cells into various neuronal subtypes and glia cells.