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Abstract

Study of Spheroids Fusion via Multiphysics Simulations: Feasibility of Applying Permanent Magnetic Field Gradients †

1
GINIB Research Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá 111711, Colombia
2
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Los Andes, Bogotá 111711, Colombia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Presented at the 2nd International Electronic Conference on Biomolecules: Biomacromolecules and the Modern World Challenges, 1–15 November 2022; Available online: https://iecbm2022.sciforum.net/.
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2022, 20(1), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/IECBM2022-13386
Published: 1 November 2022

Abstract

:
Cell spheroids represent a scaffold-free route to form cell aggregates through maximizing cell-cell interactions. Spheroids have gained significant attention for the engineering of multilayer tissues as they offer a closer resemblance of physiological conditions observed in vivo, compared with traditional 2D models where cells are grown on flat surfaces. Multilayered tissues are formed by allowing spheroids to interact with themselves within relevant matrices mimicking native conditions of extracellular matrices. However, such conventional fusion methods provide little control over spheroid–spheroid interactions, making their reproducibility very limited. Additionally, such methods are lengthy, which is undesirable from the scalability and economic viewpoints. We propose a methodology to accelerate spheroid fusion by applying magnetic forces externally on spheroids previously magnetized by the internalization of iron oxide nanoparticles. A base mathematical model of spheroids assembly was implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics and involved a laminar two-phase field approach, which was validated by employing a novel segmentation algorithm. The magnetic effect was introduced by an applied volumetric magnetic force, which was generated by the action of two neodymium permanent magnets positioned perpendicular to the computational domain. Our simulations showed that magnetized spheroids fusion can be accelerated by about 55% after applying a magnetic force. In addition, we successfully tested a new modeling approach that allowed taking into account interactions between spheroids and the medium, as evidenced by a standard error of only 13% with respect to the experimental results shown in the literature. Importantly, these simulations also showed that the time required to fuse the spheroids is reduced by about 55%. We are currently validating the model experimentally on extracellular-matrix-derived hydrogels embedded with magnetized spheroids. Future work will be dedicated to calibrating the model with the collected experimental data.

Supplementary Materials

The presentation material of this work is available online at https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/IECBM2022-13386/s1.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, J.C.C., C.M.C. and J.F.O.; methodology, data cu-ration and data analysis C.F.R., L.O., M.A.C.-B. and K.A.G.R.; software, C.F.R., L.O. and K.A.G.R.; vali-dation, J.C.C., J.F.O. and C.M.C.; formal analysis and investigation, C.F.R. and L.O.; resources, C.F.R., L.O., M.A.C.-B., K.A.G.R., J.F.O., C.M.C. and J.C.C.; writing original draft prepa-ration, C.F.R. and M.A.C.-B.; writing—review and editing, J.C.C., J.F.O. and C.M.C.; visualization C.F.R., L.O., M.A.C.-B. and K.A.G.R.; supervision, J.C.C., J.F.O. and C.M.C.; project administration, J.F.O., C.M.C. and J.C.C.; funding acquisition, J.C.C., J.F.O. and C.M.C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

Not applicable.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Rodríguez, C.F.; Castilla-Bolanos, M.A.; Ortiz, L.; Rodriguez, K.A.G.; Osma, J.F.; Camargo, C.M.; Cruz, J.C. Study of Spheroids Fusion via Multiphysics Simulations: Feasibility of Applying Permanent Magnetic Field Gradients. Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2022, 20, 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/IECBM2022-13386

AMA Style

Rodríguez CF, Castilla-Bolanos MA, Ortiz L, Rodriguez KAG, Osma JF, Camargo CM, Cruz JC. Study of Spheroids Fusion via Multiphysics Simulations: Feasibility of Applying Permanent Magnetic Field Gradients. Biology and Life Sciences Forum. 2022; 20(1):30. https://doi.org/10.3390/IECBM2022-13386

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rodríguez, Cristian F., Maria A. Castilla-Bolanos, Laura Ortiz, Kevin A. Giraldo Rodriguez, Johann F. Osma, Carolina Muñoz Camargo, and Juan C. Cruz. 2022. "Study of Spheroids Fusion via Multiphysics Simulations: Feasibility of Applying Permanent Magnetic Field Gradients" Biology and Life Sciences Forum 20, no. 1: 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/IECBM2022-13386

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