Making microenvironments: A look into incorporating macromolecular crowding into in vitro experiments, to generate biomimetic microenvironments which are capable of directing cell function for tissue engineering applications
Biomimetic microenvironments are key components to successful cell culture and tissue engineering in vitro. One of the most accurate biomimetic microenvironments is that made by the cells themselves. Cell-made microenvironments are most similar to the in vivo state as they are cell-specific and produced by the actual cells which reside in that specific microenvironment. However, cell-made microenvironments have been challenging to re-create in vitro due to the lack of extracellular matrix composition, volume and complexity which are required. By applying macromolecular crowding to current cell culture protocols, cell-made microenvironments, or cell-derived matrices, can be generated at significant rates in vitro. In this review, we will examine the causes and effects of macromolecular crowding and how it has been applied in several in vitro systems including tissue engineering.
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science
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3%
Other
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Unknown
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Attention Score in Context
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 4. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 13 August 2026.
All research outputs
#9,731,571
of 31,660,612 outputs
Outputs from Journal of Tissue Engineering
#106
of 382 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#117,627
of 349,282 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Journal of Tissue Engineering
#4
of 9 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 31,660,612 research outputs across all sources so far. This one has received more attention than most of these and is in the 67th percentile.
So far Altmetric has tracked 382 research outputs from this source. They receive a mean Attention Score of 4.9. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 69% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 349,282 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 65% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 9 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has scored higher than 5 of them.
