3D Printed Human Trabecular Meshwork Culture System for Glaucoma Modeling

Melissa Krebs

mdkrebs@mines.edu

Aqueous humor outflow resistance is the primary determinant of intraocular pressure (IOP), and increased outflow resistance is the basis for elevated IOP associated with glaucoma. In humans, IOP is primarily controlled by the outflow of the aqueous humor through the trabecular meshwork (TM). Current approaches for antiglaucoma therapeutic research are focused on screening TM cell response on flat two-dimensional (2D) culture systems, or using perfusion studies on donor eyes which are expensive to obtain. Most in vitro studies are hence over-simplified since cells are more restricted in their morphological development and motility in flat 2D plastic surfaces as compared to the complex three-dimensional (3D) in vivo environment. There is an agreement among the scientific community for the need of a model capable of imitating the TM more closely. We hypothesize that 3D printed natural biopolymer scaffolds can model the TM by supporting and influencing hTM cell growth, proliferation, and expression of important marker proteins and provide a platform for glaucoma drug screening.

Grand Challenge: Engineer better medicines.

https://krebslab.com Human Trabecular Meshwork Cell Behavior is Influenced by Collagen Scaffold Pore Architecture and Glycosaminoglycan Composition Photoinduced Gelatin-Methacrylate Scaffolds to Examine the Impact of Extracellular Environment on Trabecular Meshwork Cells

Melissa Krebs, mdkrebs@mines.edu