(A) Four MAP gel formulations manufactured to study the effect of degradability, stiffness and binding motif concentration. (B) Relative cell expansion in vitro at 7 days (n = 5). (C) Representative fluorescent images of MSC growth in vitro following two weeks (Blue, nucleus; Green, actin). Scale bar: 50 µm. (D) Average actin area normalized by the number of cells for in vitro culture (n = 5). (E) Representative fluorescent images of GFP-producing MSCs in MAP scaffolds subcutaneously injected into C57BL/6 mice following two weeks (Red, gel; Blue, nucleus; Green, GFP; Magenta, CD29). Scale bar: 50 µm. (F) CD29+ cells per area in scaffolds at week 2 (n = 5). (G) Ratio of CD29+ cells to all cells in the scaffolds at week 2 (n = 5). Each dot in the plots represents an individual mouse. All data are presented as average ± s.d. Statistical significance based on one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s HSD post hoc test (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, ****p < 0.0001).