CA16119 - In vitro 3-D total cell guidance and fitness (CellFit)

The present Action is aimed at refining our understanding of the in vivo microenvironment, reducing the differences when translating it in vitro, to create 3D total guidance ex vivo culture systems for the replacement of animal use.

Traditional in vitro 2D culture systems fail to imitate the physiological and biochemical features of cells in the original tissue. Differences between the microenvironment provided by cell culture models and that distinct of the in vivo tissues are significant and can cause deviations in cell response and behaviour.

In this COST Action, the present understanding of in vivo micro/macro-environment will be refined in order to reproduce in vitro the physiological system in the best possible way: surface topography, substrate stiffness, mechanical stimulation, chemical cues and localised density will be analysed. This will allow to develop reliable “3D total guidance” in vitro models reducing the number of animals used and allowing a safe translation of the present basic knowledge in cell repair and regeneration from the laboratory bench to the clinical application, with a positive impact on every day’s life patients and general Health costs.

Researches in this field are being performed by different groups in the EU, but efforts need to be coordinated in order to avoid duplication, set targets and guidance for future research and to standardise protocols through a large interdisciplinary collaborative EU network. These goals can only be achieved under a COST programme