The cell microenvironment has emerged as a key determinant of cell behavior and function
in development, physiology, and pathophysiology. The extracellular matrix (ECM) within the …

Bioprinting techniques have been flourishing in the field of biofabrication with pronounced
and exponential developments in the past years. Novel biomaterial inks used for the …

Genetic studies in animals and humans indicate that gene mutations that functionally perturb
transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling are linked to specific hereditary vascular …

Objective: Leaflet thickening, fibrosis, and hardening are early pathological features of
calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). An inadequate understanding of the resident aortic …

Cardiovascular diseases represent a major cause of morbidity and mortality, necessitating
research to improve diagnostics, and to discover and test novel preventive and curative …

The cell microenvironment choreographs the behaviors of cells through multiple well-
controlled signals. For basic biological study and cell-based therapies, it is essential to …

Human tissues are sophisticated ensembles of many distinct cell types embedded in the
complex, but well-defined, structures of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Dynamic …

Heart valves are dynamic structures that, in the average human, open and close over
100,000 times per day, and 3× 109 times per lifetime to maintain unidirectional blood flow …

Fibrotic disorders account for over one third of mortalities worldwide. Despite great efforts to
study the cellular and molecular processes underlying fibrosis, there are currently few …

Objective: Resident valvular interstitial cells (VICs) activate to myofibroblasts during aortic
valve stenosis progression, which further promotes fibrosis or even differentiate into …