Resumen
The overarching objective of this project is to develop new robust in vitro models of NAFLD based on
viscoelastic hydrogels to study the evolution to liver fibrosis and drug response. Unconventionally, we
will engineer hydrogels that mimic the native viscoelastic behaviour of the liver and provide the
adequate 3D mechanical microenvironment to encapsulated hepatocytes. This way we expect to obtain
stable and functional hepatocytes in culture and co-culture. The ability of the platform to mimic liver
steatosis and its progression to liver fibrosis will be studied by the addition of biochemical factors and
by the matrix itself. This means that the study will be extended to analyse the effect of the mechanical
properties and hydrogel stiffening in the induction of the liver diseases. The hydrogel production will
be scaled-up by bioprinting to guarantee reproducibility and high-throughput. The different cellhydrogel
disease models will be submitted to anti-steatotic and anti-fibrotic drugs to check their
therapeutic effectiveness. The 3D disease models will be used to explore new biomarkers of liver
steatosis and fibrosis with potential utility in clinical practice.
