Design and characterization of tissue engineered substitutes rely on robust monitoring techniques that provide information regarding viability and function when exposed to various environmental conditions. In vitro studies permit the direct monitoring of cellular and construct changes because these substitutes remain accessible. However, upon in vivo implantation, changes in cell viability and function are often detected using indirect or invasive methods that make assessing temporal changes challenging. . Thus, the development of non-invasive monitoring modalities may facilitate improved tissue substitute design and, ultimately, clinical outcome. The overall objective of this thesis was to establish a method to monitor and track cells and the cellular environment within a tissue engineered substitute in vitro and in vivo. This was accomplished via 31P NMR spectroscopy and through the incorporation of perfluorocarbon (PFC) emulsions for the monitoring of DO concentration by 19F NMR spectroscopy. The first aim of this thesis was to develop a method that tracked the state of cells and of the cellular environment within alginate constructs during perfusion studies in which the perfusing medium DO concentrations were changed over time or cells were exposed to a cytotoxic antibiotic. Due to challenges in acquiring DO concentration gradient information within beads, a second aim was to develop a mathematical model that would calculate gradients from experimentally acquired volume averaged DO concentrations; thus, significantly enhancing the robustness of tracking the alginate beads. Lastly, since the PFC emulsions used in the study may affect cell viability and function, a third aim was to characterize, experimentally and via modeling, the effect of several PFC emulsion concentrations on the encapsulated and #946;TC-tet cells.

Genetically engineered cells have the potential to solve the cell availability problem in developing a pancreatic tissue substitute for the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes (IDD). These cells can be beta-cells genetically engineered so that they can be grown in culture, such as the betaTC3 and betaTC tet mouse insulinomas developed by Efrat et al; or, they can be non-beta cells genetically engineered to secrete insulin constitutively or under transcriptional regulation. The aim of this work was to thoroughly characterize and improve the secretion dynamics of pancreatic substitutes based on genetically engineered cells. One issue involved with the continuous beta-cell lines is the remodeling of the cells inside an encapsulated cell system, which may affect the insulin secretion dynamics exhibited by the construct. To evaluate the effect of remodeling on the secretion properties of the construct, we used a single-pass perfusion system to characterize the insulin secretion dynamics of different alginate beads in response to step-ups and downs in glucose concentration. Results indicated that the secretion dynamics of beads indeed changed after long-term culture. On the other hand, data with a growth-regulated cell line, betaTC tet cells, showed that the secretion profile of beads can be retained if the cell growth is suppressed. A major concern associated with genetically engineered cells of non-beta origin is that they generally exhibit sub-optimal insulin secretion characteristics relative to normal pancreatic islets. Instead of relying on molecular tools such as manipulating gene elements, our approach was to introduce a glucose-responsive material acting as a control barrier for insulin release from a device containing constitutively secreting cells. Proof-of-concept experiments were performed with a disk-shaped prototype based on recombinant HepG2 hepatomas or C2C12 myoblasts, which constitutively secreted insulin, and concanavalin A (con A)-based glucose-responsive material as the control barrier. Results demonstrated that the a hybrid pancreatic substitute consisting of constitutively secreting cells and glucose-responsive material has the potential to provide a more physiologic regulation of insulin release than the cells by themselves or in an inert material.

Cell-based insulin therapies can potentially improve glycemic regulation in insulin dependent diabetes patients and thus help reduce secondary complications. The long-term goal of our work is to engineer autologous insulin-secreting intestinal endocrine cells as a non-beta cell approach to alleviate donor cell shortage and immune rejection issues associated with islet transplantation. These cells have been chosen for their endogenous similarity to beta cells, but generating cell constructs with sufficient insulin secretion for therapeutic effect has proven challenging. Previous work in our lab showed that a tissue engineered pancreatic substitute (TEPS) based on an engineered insulin-secreting L cell line, GLUTag-INS, was insufficient in affecting blood glucose levels in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice, but promising since human insulin was detected in the blood. The objective of this project was therefore to fabricate an improved TEPS based on GLUTag-INS cells and evaluate its suitability as a standalone diabetes therapy. To achieve this objective, the following specific aims were (1) to investigate gene incorporation as a strategy to enhance recombinant insulin secretion from GLUTag-INS cells; (2) to develop and characterize a TEPS in vitro based on a microcapsule system containing improved GLUTag-INS cells with bioluminescence monitoring capability; and (3) to assess therapeutic efficacy of the graft in a diabetic, immune-competent mouse model and use bioluminescence monitoring to elucidate in vivo transplant behavior. This thesis therefore reports on the progression of studies from the genetic and molecular levels for improved insulin secretion per-cell, to the tissue level for enhanced secretion per-graft, and lastly to the preclinical level for therapeutic assessment in a diabetic mouse model.

The effects of two types of cryopreservation, conventional freezing and vitrification, on the in vitro and in vivo function of a pancreatic substitute were investigated. Conventional freezing uses low concentrations of cryoprotective agents (CPAs), slow cooling and rapid warming and allows ice formation. Vitrification requires high concentrations of CPAs coupled with rapid cooling and warming to achieve a vitreous, or ice-free, state. A previously published mathematical model describing the mass transfer of CPAs through the alginate matrix of the substitute and the cell membrane was expanded to incorporate heat transfer as well as CPA cytotoxicity. Our results indicate that temperature of exposure is the most critical parameter for the proper design of CPA addition and removal protocols. The use of a mathematical model is critical to ensure CPA equilibration and minimize CPA exposure. Properly designed CPA addition and removal protocols were used for vitrification. The effects of cryopreservation on the biomaterial and the cellular function of a pancreatic substitute consisting of murine insulinomas encapsulated in calcium alginate/poly-L-lysine/alginate beads were assessed. In vitro results indicate that both vitrification and conventionally frozen perform comparably to fresh. However, in vivo studies reveal that vitrified beads perform worse than both conventionally frozen and fresh beads. With adjustments, it may be possible to improve the performance of the vitrified beads. Nevertheless, for this pancreatic substitute, conventional freezing is the better method and allows successful cryopreservation.

Key to the success of natural and engineered tissues becoming clinically available until needed is their long-term storage at low temperatures. This can be implemented by means of freezing or vitrification. To this end, vitrification offers an attractive approach for tissue banking by forming an amorphous glass both intra- and extracellularly and thereby avoiding the harmful effects of ice formation. Generally, high concentrations of cryoprotectants (CPAs) are used in conjunction with high cooling and warming rates to achieve this. However, hurdles associated with applying this technique include the ability to adequately deliver and remove CPAs due to cellular osmotic and cytotoxic effects as well as achieving adequate cooling and warming rates throughout the tissue to avoid ice formation. The aim of this work was to account for these factors in designing cryopreservation protocols for native and engineered tissues that had intrinsically different characteristics, including tissue size and extracellular matrix properties. The tissues investigated were two types of three-dimensional, cell encapsulated systems consisting of murine insulinomas and murine embryonic stem cells, and native articular cartilage. A mathematical 3-D CPA transport model was developed to predict cell volume excursions and intracellular CPA equilibration and applied to cryopreserve an engineered tissue. This thesis established a systematic methodology to design cryopreservation protocols using experimental measurements and a mathematical model for tissues.