Programmable DNA hydrogel materials for realistic ex vivo tissue models for research and personalised medicine

Yu-Hsuan Peng describes a new class of soft, DNA-crosslinked polymer hydrogel materials in her master's thesis supervised by Dr Elisha Krieg. As part of her BMBF-funded project, she investigated the properties of this class of materials using oscillatory rheology. In doing so, she laid the foundations for their application as a soft matrix in which the development of biological cells can be investigated and controlled.

The in vitro culture of biological cells is of great importance for biological research. It helps to study cellular behaviour under controlled conditions in the laboratory and to test potential drugs, reducing the need for animal testing. However, currently available hydrogel materials have significant limitations. They are often derived from variable biological sources and are difficult to adjust their mechanical properties. This affects the reproducibility of in vitro experiments and severely limits the usability of cell culture for personalised medicine. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new approaches to create soft biocompatible materials with predictable properties.

Yu-Hsuan Peng found a way to form molecular networks whose mechanical properties can be precisely controlled by the addition of artificial DNA molecules. This material can be easily produced and also degraded again. On a microscopic level, the material has countless „predetermined breaking points“. This makes it deformable and self-healing, and it can also be processed into complex structural scaffolds for tissue culture under mild cell-compatible conditions in 3D printing.
Experiments with human stem cells prove the cell compatibility of the material. With the help of the adjustable stiffness and deformability of the hydrogel, the conditions in soft biological tissues can be precisely simulated and dynamically adapted to the needs of the cells. Taken together, the „programmable“ properties of the material indicate a promising potential for new applications in tissue culture. In the future, it will be used in basic research and personalised medicine, for example to realistically simulate and study patient- or disease-specific biological processes in the laboratory.

The award ceremony took place on 20 April 2023 at 5 p.m. as part of the IPF's annual reception in the Great Hall of the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum Dresden.

Press release of the "idw - Informationsdienst Wissenschaft" from 20 April 2023