Smart Material Hydrogel Transfer Devices Fabricated with Stimuli-Responsive Silk-Elastin-Like Proteins

Three-dimensional organoid tissue culture models are a promising approach for the study of biological processes including diseases. Advances in these tissue culture technologies improve in vitro analysis compared to standard 2D cellular approaches and are more representative of the physiological environment. However, a major challenge associated with organoid systems stems from the laborious processing involved in the analysis of large numbers of organoids. Here the design, characterization, and application of silk-elastin-like protein-based smart carrier arrays for processing organoids is presented. Fabrication of hydrogel-based carrier systems at room temperature result in organized arrays of organoids that maintain tissue culture plate orientation and could be processed simultaneously for histology. The system works by transfer of the organoids to the hydrogel arrays after which the material is subjected to 65 degrees C to induce hydrogel contraction to secure the organoids, resulting in multisample constructs and allowing for placement on a microscope slide. Histological processing and immunostaining of these arrayed cerebral organoids analyzed within the contracted silk-elastin-like proteins (SELP) show retention of native organoid features compared to controls without the hydrogel carrier system, thus avoiding any artifacts. These SELP carriers present a useful approach for improving efficiency of scaled organoid screening and processing.