Abstract
Accurate tissue phantoms are difficult to design due to the complex non-linear viscoelastic properties of real soft tissues. A composite hydrogel, resulting from a mix of poly(vinyl) alcohol and phytagel, is able to reproduce the viscoelastic responses of different soft tissues due to its compositional tunability. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the flexibility of the composite hydrogel in mimicking the interactions between surgical tools and various soft tissues, such as brain, lung and liver. Therefore compressive stiffness, insertion forces and frictional forces were used as matching criteria to determine the hydrogel compositions for each soft tissue. A full map of the behaviour of the synthetic material is provided for these three characteristics and the compositions found to best match the mechanical response of brain, lung and liver are reported. The optimised hydrogel samples are then tested and shown to mimic the behaviour of the three tissues with unprecedented fidelity. The effect of each hydrogel constituent on the compressive stiffness, needle insertion and frictional forces is also detailed in this work to explain their individual contributions and synergistic effects. This study opens important opportunities for the realisation of surgical planning and training devices and tools for in-vitro tissue testing.
Highlights
Yarrowia lipolytica is a non-conventional dimorphic yeast with the potential to act as a biotechnological workhorse in a wide range of applications
Strains have been engineered to produce large amounts of oleic acid oil with no polyunsaturated fatty acid (Tsakraklides et al, 2018); unusual fatty acids such as hydroxy fatty acids and ricinoleic acid (Beopoulos et al, 2014); oils that resemble cocoa butter, which is rich in stearic acid and could be used as an oil substitute in chocolate production (Papanikolaou and Aggelis, 2003a); conjugated fatty acids such as conjugated linoleic acids (Imatoukene et al, 2017; Zhang et al, 2013, 2012); and omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids like EPA (Xue et al, 2013)
We describe and assess the most important synthetic biology tools developed to date for Y. lipolytica
Summary
Yarrowia lipolytica is a non-conventional dimorphic yeast with the potential to act as a biotechnological workhorse in a wide range of applications. Strains have been engineered to produce large amounts of oleic acid oil with no polyunsaturated fatty acid (Tsakraklides et al, 2018); unusual fatty acids such as hydroxy fatty acids and ricinoleic acid (Beopoulos et al, 2014); oils that resemble cocoa butter, which is rich in stearic acid and could be used as an oil substitute in chocolate production (Papanikolaou and Aggelis, 2003a); conjugated fatty acids such as conjugated linoleic acids (Imatoukene et al, 2017; Zhang et al, 2013, 2012); and omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids like EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid, C20:5) (Xue et al, 2013). We focus on DNA assembly techniques, DNA parts for constructing expression cassettes, genome-editing techniques, and computational tools, and we discuss their potential to enhance this yeast's capabilities
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
