Polymeric dispersants are useful materials used in many different industries and often derived from oil-based chemicals, for example, in automotive fluids so as to prevent particulates from precipitation and causing potential damage. These are very often polyisobutene derivatives, and there is a growing need to replace these using chemicals using renewable resources such as the use of naturally occurring myrcene. Polymyrcene (PMy), with an ordered microstructure, has been successfully synthesized via both anionic and radical polymerization in different solvents and subsequently subjected to functionalization via photoinduced thiol-ene click reactions with a number of thiols, methyl thioglycolate, 3-mercaptopropionic acid, 3-mercapto-1-hexanol, 2-mercaptoethanol, and 1-thioglycerol, using 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone as a photoinitiator under UV irradiation (λ = 365 nm) at ambient temperature. The polarity of the solvent has an important impact on the microstructure of the produced polymyrcene and, in particular, 1,2-unit (∼4%), 3,4-unit (∼41%), and 1,4-unit (∼51%) PMy were obtained via anionic polymerization in a polar solvent (THF) at ambient temperature, while 3,4-unit (∼6%) and 1,4-unit (∼94%, including cis and trans) PMy were obtained with cyclohexane as the solvent. Subsequently, photochemical thiol-ene reactions were carried out on the resulting PMy with different isomers exhibiting different reactivities of the double bonds. This strategy allows for the introduction of functional/polar groups (-COOH, -OH) into hydrophobic PMy in a controlled process. Hydrogenation of PMy and derivatized PMy was carried out to investigate any effects on the stabilities of the products which are desirable for many applications.

In vitro three-dimensional (3D) models are better able to replicate the complexity of real organs and tissues than 2D monolayer models. The human endometrium, the inner lining of the uterus, undergoes complex changes during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. These changes occur in response to steroid hormone fluctuations and elicit crosstalk between the epithelial and stromal cell compartments, and dysregulations are associated with a variety of pregnancy disorders. Despite the importance of the endometrium in embryo implantation and pregnancy establishment, there is a lack of in vitro models that recapitulate tissue structure and function and as such a growing demand for extracellular matrix hydrogels that can support 3D cell culture. To be physiologically relevant, an in vitro model requires mechanical and biochemical cues that mimic those of the ECM found in the native tissue. We report a semisynthetic gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel that combines the bioactive properties of natural hydrogels with the tunability and reproducibility of synthetic materials. We then describe a simple protocol whereby cells can quickly be encapsulated in GelMA hydrogels. We investigate the suitability of GelMA hydrogel to support the development of an endometrial model by culturing the main endometrial cell types: stromal cells and epithelial cells. We also demonstrate how the mechanical and biochemical properties of GelMA hydrogels can be tailored to support the growth and maintenance of epithelial gland organoids that emerge upon 3D culturing of primary endometrial epithelial progenitor cells in a defined chemical medium. We furthermore demonstrate the ability of GelMA hydrogels to support the viability of stromal cells and their function measured by monitoring decidualization in response to steroid hormones. This study describes the first steps toward the development of a hydrogel matrix-based model that recapitulates the structure and function of the native endometrium and could support applications in understanding reproductive failure.

Identifying probiotics and pathogens is of great interest to the health of the human body. It is critical to develop microbiota-targeted therapies to have high specificity including strain specificity. In this study, we have utilized E. coli MG1655 bacteria as living templates to synthesize glycopolymers in situ with high selectivity. By this bacteria-sugar monomer-aptation-polymerization (BS-MAP) method, we have obtained glycopolymers from the surface of bacteria which can recognize template bacteria from two strains of E. coli and the specific bacteria-binding ability of glycopolymers was confirmed by both bacterial aggregation experiment and QCM-D measurements. Furthermore, the synthesized glycopolymers have shown a powerful inhibitory ability which can prevent bacteria from harming cells in both anti-infection and co-culture tests.

Haematopoiesis, the process of blood production, occurs from a tiny contingent of haematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in highly specialised three-dimensional niches located within the bone marrow. When haematopoiesis is replicated using in vitro two-dimensional culture, HSCs rapidly differentiate, limiting self-renewal. Emulsion-templated highly porous polyHIPE foam scaffolds were chosen to mimic the honeycomb architecture of human bone. The unmodified polyHIPE material supports haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) culture, with successful culture of erythroid progenitors and neutrophils within the scaffolds. Using erythroid culture methodology, the CD34+ population was maintained for 28 days with continual release of erythroid progenitors. These cells are shown to spontaneously repopulate the scaffolds, and the accumulated egress can be expanded and grown at large scale to reticulocytes. We next show that the polyHIPE scaffolds can be successfully functionalised using activated BM(PEG)2 (1,8-bismaleimido-diethyleneglycol) and then a Jagged-1 peptide attached in an attempt to facilitate notch signalling. Although Jagged-1 peptide had no detectable effect, the BM(PEG)2 alone significantly increased cell egress when compared to controls, without depleting the scaffold population. This work highlights polyHIPE as a novel functionalisable material for mimicking the bone marrow, and also that PEG can influence HSPC behaviour within scaffolds.