Figure 8:

Development of an integrative approach to systematically investigate the role of matrix mechanics in myeloid leukemias. (A) Schematic showing recapitulation of mechanical properties relevant to the hematopoietic system by ionic cross-linking of alginate hydrogels, followed by adaptation of the 3D hydrogels into quantitative screening and animal validation. (B) Different myeloid leukemia subtypes show distinct proliferative responses against matrix mechanics and ligand density. Ligand density is controlled by “degree of substitution” (DS), which indicates the number of RGD peptides conjugated per alginate molecule (0~20). The whole cell population was used for viability analysis. The data were fit to biphasic dose–response curves for AML cells and standard dose–response inhibition curves for CML cells. *P < 0.05 from one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s honestly significant difference (HSD) test. Figure adapted with permission from Shin et al. ¹⁷⁷.