{
  "id": 10734443,
  "title": "Strategies to improve neurite outgrowth from primary neurons ingelatin methacrylate hydrogels polymerized with visible lightexposure inside a microscale 3D model",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/strategies-to-improve-neurite-outgrowth-from-primary-neurons",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-29T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.28.755099v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogels possess advantageous features such as excellent biocompatibility, adjustable stiffness, and quick fabrication, rendering them suitable materials for neural systems-on-a-chip devices employed in studying axonal outgrowth within three-dimensional (3D) environments. This investigation focused on assessing GelMA hydrogels crosslinked with visible blue light and their application in encapsulating primary dorsal root ganglion (DRG) explants within a custom microscale device. The researchers opted for low GelMA polymer concentrations of 3% and 6% w/v to produce soft materials, and examined the influence of degree of functionalization (DoF) on GelMA stiffness through blue light-induced crosslinking. It was noticed that a reduction in crosslinking efficiency and stiffness of GelMA occurred upon reconstitution of the polymer in DMEM cell culture media compared to PBS. To assess axonal outgrowth, DRG explants were encapsulated in various GelMA formulations and cultured for seven days. After incubation, the explants were fixed and immunolabeled with anti-beta-III-tubulin antibody. A custom-developed semi-automated image analysis tool, coupled with linear mixed effects modeling, was utilized to evaluate axonal outgrowth across different GelMA formulations. Among the tested formulations, 3% GelMA with 95% DoF hydrogels demonstrated the longest neurite outgrowth, indicating that matrix properties play a significant role in neurite extension.",
  "summary": "Gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogels offer many advantageous properties such as excellent biocompatibility, tunable stiffness, and rapid fabrication, making them attractive materials for neural systems-on-a-chip devices used to study axonal outgrowth in three-dimensional (3D) environments. In this study, we evaluate properties of GelMA hydrogels crosslinked with visible blue light and…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}