Development of hyaluronic acid hydrogels for human neural stem cell engineering

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex system composed of an intricate network of proteins, polysaccharides and cells. There is a large variance in the ECM´s mechanical and biochemical properties depending on the tissue or organ type. In this study, a hydrogel is developed to mimic soft tissue ECM using hyaluronic acid as the backbone biopolymer. The hydrogel´s mechanical properties, such as shear storage modulus (G´), are directly modulated by the degree of crosslinking. Adult human neural stem cells are maintained and differentiated within the hydrogels for 2 weeks. Cell viability and differentiation was analyzed using live-cell imaging methods and biochemical assays.