Research

Scientists develop hydrogel platform that mimics human tissue

Susan Glairon — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 22:55:27 +0000

Scientists develop hydrogel platform that mimics human tissue Susan Glairon Thu, 03/12/2026 - 16:55

Susan Glairon

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (purple) interact with a hydrogel matrix (green). In viscoelastic materials, the cells can spread and reshape the matrix.

For decades, lab-grown cells have been studied in materials that don’t reflect the softness and flexibility of human tissue.

Bruce Kirkpatrick

Researchers at the ��ý�� have developed a water-rich, Jell-O-like material that more closely mimics how real tissues move, stretch and relax and whose liquid or solid state can be precisely controlled by light.

The work was recently published in the journal Matter and was directed by Distinguished Professor Kristi Anseth.

These new hydrogels will help scientists understand how mechanical cues from tissues affect cells, said Bruce Kirkpatrick, (PhDBioEngr'25), the paper’s first author and a third-year medical student. These insights could help improve our understanding of disease and how cells respond to drugs. It could also shed light on cell development—how stem cells mature into specialized cell types.

“The convention of growing cells on plastic for drug testing is problematic because plastic is stiff, while human tissue is flexible,” Kirkpatrick said. “Unless you're studying bone or other cells adapted to rigid environments, it’s not an appropriate mechanical setting for studying how cells respond to drugs.”

Kirkpatrick added that a key advantage of the hydrogel-based cell culture platform is its three-dimensional structure, which better reflects the environment cells experience in the body.

“The material we developed will help researchers better understand how mechanical environments influence cell behavior, not just the biochemical cues cells receive through surrounding liquid and nearby cells,” he said.

Shaped by light

Lea Hibbard

Most hydrogels form spontaneously when two liquids are mixed, but these gels provide less control and precision than the newly developed materials, Kirkpatrick said. In addition, researchers traditionally have shaped hydrogels using extrusion printing, a process similar to squeezing Play-Doh through a tube.

Instead, Kirkpatrick and the research team combined the new hydrogel’s dynamic properties with photopolymerization, using light to transform liquids into solids and encapsulate cells during three-dimensional printing. The new approach is faster and provides precise control over shape and material properties, Kirkpatrick said.

“With photopolymerization, we can control exactly how much light is applied, where it goes and when the hydrogel forms,” Kirkpatrick added. “The amount of light determines how much the material gels and its resulting mechanical properties. It gives researchers control over the shape, timing of cell encapsulation and spatial variation in properties.”

For example, if cells are encapsulated in a droplet and one side is exposed to light for only a few seconds while the other receives a longer or stronger dose, researchers can study what happens at the boundary between those regions, observing how cells migrate between them and how differences in mechanical properties influence their behavior.

Abhishek Dhand

The researchers also studied intestinal organoids—tiny lab-grown versions of the intestine—to see how they behaved in different environments. In the body, these cells exist in a soft, viscoelastic environment, where tissues stretch or deform under stress.

When the team placed the organoids in a hydrogel with similar properties, the cells took on natural shapes and expressed the right proteins. In other words, they behaved like they do inside the body.

“These findings suggest that viscoelasticity is essential for proper cell function and organization,” Kirkpatrick said.

Next steps

The researchers’ long-term goal is to use three-dimensional printing to produce large, cell-laden arrays of the new material for drug testing or disease modeling. This approach allows them to quickly create identical samples with high quality control and study how cells respond to gene mutations—such as removing a disease-linked gene—or to varying drug concentrations in the hydrogel environment.

The material could also help scientists study fundamental processes, such as how embryos organize cells to form correctly shaped organs, and investigate diseases like fibrosis, in which the body overproduces scar tissue in response to injury or chronic inflammation.

Co-first authors Abhishek Dhand, (PhDBioMedEngr’25), and PhD student Lea Hibbard (ChemBioEngr’24) contributed equally to this study. CU ��ý�� faculty involved in the project included Professor Jason Burdick, Distinguished Professor Christopher Bowman and Professor Tim White.

A new light-controlled hydrogel developed at CU ��ý�� mimics the movement and flexibility of real tissue, giving scientists a more realistic way to study cells and disease.

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New study shows how certain immune cells slow the body’s response to infection

Susan Glairon — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:52:08 +0000

New study shows how certain immune cells slow the body’s response to infection Susan Glairon Tue, 03/10/2026 - 11:52

Hannah Weppner

Research led by Hannah Weppner, a graduate student in the lab of Assistant Professor Laurel Hind, highlighting how a population of immune cells can weaken the body’s response to infection, was recently published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology and featured in the newsletter of the International Society for Lymphatic Biology (ISLB).

Using an infection-on-a-chip model with human cells, Hind and her team found that a population of immune cells called M-MDSCs can slow the recruitment of neutrophils—the body’s first responders—to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. The researchers also identified a signaling molecule, IL-10, that plays a key role in this process. When IL-10 was blocked, neutrophils were able to move normally again.

The findings reveal a new way infections can weaken the immune response and show how advanced human cell models help researchers study immune cell interactions.

Read the ISLB Q&A Read the journal paper

Assistant Professor Laurel Hind’s lab discovered how certain immune cells can suppress the body’s response to infection, using advanced human cell models.

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In America science-sceptics are now in charge

Susan Glairon — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:44:57 +0000

In America science-sceptics are now in charge Susan Glairon Wed, 02/11/2026 - 10:44

Professor Michael D. McGehee and his team are advancing tandem solar cells—pairing silicon with a high-efficiency material called perovskite—that could significantly improve the economics of renewable energy. While the technology shows great promise, making perovskites durable enough for commercial use remains a key challenge. In October 2025, just as the research was gaining momentum, the Trump administration abruptly terminated the team’s federal grant.

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Wyatt Shields receives Grubstake Award to advance treatment toward clinical use

Susan Glairon — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 21:06:34 +0000

Wyatt Shields receives Grubstake Award to advance treatment toward clinical use Susan Glairon Thu, 01/22/2026 - 14:06

Assistant Professor Wyatt Shields

High-grade serous carcinoma is the deadliest form of ovarian cancer, and while a drug called olaparib can help prevent the cancer from returning, it often causes serious side effects. To address this challenge, Wyatt Shields, assistant professor in CU ��ý��’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Benjamin Bitler, associate professor in the CU Anschutz Division of Reproductive Sciences and CU PhD Student Courtney Bailey have developed a new way to deliver the drug more safely. Their approach uses tiny, biodegradable particles carried by immune cells to deliver treatment directly to tumors, helping reduce harmful effects on the rest of the body. Funding totaling $300,000 from the Gates Institute at University of Colorado Anschutz, in partnership with CU Anschutz Innovations, will support the next steps to move this technology closer to clinical use.

Read more at University of Colorado Anschutz News...

Assistant Professor Wyatt Shields along with other researchers have developed a safer, targeted way to deliver an ovarian cancer drug using immune cell–carried particles, supported by $300,000 in Gates Institute funding to advance it toward clinical use.

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Chemical and Biological Engineering welcomes two new faculty

Susan Glairon — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:53:05 +0000

Chemical and Biological Engineering welcomes two new faculty Susan Glairon Tue, 01/20/2026 - 11:53

Susan Glairon

Meet the department's newest faculty, Assistant Professors Cody Ritt and Antonio Del Rio Flores.

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Researchers create shape-shifting, self-navigating microparticles

Susan Glairon — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 21:17:52 +0000

Researchers create shape-shifting, self-navigating microparticles Susan Glairon Wed, 01/14/2026 - 14:17

CU researchers have created shape-shifting microparticles that change their shape in response to environmental factors for self-directed propulsion and navigation.

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Scientists use ultrasound to soften and treat cancer tumors without damaging healthy tissue

Susan Glairon — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 16:42:18 +0000

Scientists use ultrasound to soften and treat cancer tumors without damaging healthy tissue Susan Glairon Wed, 12/10/2025 - 09:42

A CU ��ý�� team has invented a sound-wave technique that softens dense tumors so chemotherapy can penetrate more deeply. The discovery could boost treatment effectiveness and make cancer therapies safer for patients.

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New lightweight polymer film can prevent corrosion

Susan Glairon — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 18:19:38 +0000

New lightweight polymer film can prevent corrosion Susan Glairon Wed, 11/12/2025 - 11:19

Cody Ritt, an MIT postdoctoral researcher who will join CU ��ý��'s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering as an assistant professor in January, is one of the lead authors of a paper recently published in the journal Nature.

In the study, researchers developed a polymer coating that is nearly impermeable to gases, which could help prevent corrosion in solar panels and slow the aging of packaged food and medicines.

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In the study recently published in the journal Nature, researchers developed a polymer coating that is nearly impermeable to gases, which could help prevent corrosion in solar panels and slow the aging of packaged food and medicines.

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Electric fields steered nanoparticles through a liquid-filled maze – this new method could improve drug delivery and purification systems

Susan Glairon — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 15:24:17 +0000

Electric fields steered nanoparticles through a liquid-filled maze – this new method could improve drug delivery and purification systems Susan Glairon Wed, 11/12/2025 - 08:24

A new CU ��ý�� study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals how electric fields control nanoparticle movement through porous materials, enabling independent control of speed and direction. This finding could advance nanorobot technologies for applications like tumor detection, drug delivery and environmental cleanup of toxic chemicals.

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Shields Lab and SPUR student team up to advance microrobot drug delivery

Susan Glairon — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 20:46:07 +0000

Shields Lab and SPUR student team up to advance microrobot drug delivery Susan Glairon Fri, 10/03/2025 - 14:46

SPUR student Joshua Smith joined researchers in the Shields Lab to develop microrobots that actively deliver drugs to the lungs—an innovative approach that could transform treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome.

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