Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes and endothelial cells in multi-component hydrogel fibers for liver tissue engineering

Liver tissue engineering requires a suitable cell source, methodologies to assemble the cells within their niche microenvironments in a spatially defined manner, and vascularization of the construct in vivo for maintenance of hepatocyte viability and function. Recently, we have developed methods of encapsulating cells within separate domains in multi-component hydrogel fibers and methods of assembling fibers to form 3D-patterned tissue constructs. In the present work, we have combined these approaches to encapsulate hepatocytes and endothelial cells within their specific niches, and to assemble them into endothelialized liver tissue constructs. The hepatocytes and endothelial cells were obtained in parallel by differentiating human recombinant protein-induced human pluripotent stem cells, resulting in a construct which contained genetically identical endothelial and parenchymal elements. We were able to demonstrate that the presence of endothelial cells in the scaffold significantly improved hepatocyte function in vitro and facilitated vascularization of the scaffold when implanted in a mouse partial hepatectomy model. The in vivo studies further asserted that integration of the scaffold with host vasculature had occurred, as demonstrated by the presence of human albumin in the mouse serum.