Rapid and Versatile Cell Aggregate Formation Using Lipid-Conjugated Heparin.

Cell aggregates hold significant therapeutic promise for in vitro cell analysis, ex vivo tissue models, and in vivo cell therapy and tissue engineering. Traditional methods of making cell aggregates require long incubation times and can only produce three-dimensional-spheroid-shaped aggregates. We propose a novel method of making cell aggregates of diverse sizes and shapes using lipid-conjugated heparin. Shaking the cell suspension containing a small amount of lipid-conjugated heparin for approximately 30 min produced cell aggregates. This approach can be applied to any cell type, including stem cells, fibroblast cells, and T lymphocytes. The shape of biocompatible templates could modulate the shape of cell aggregates. In addition to layered, multicompartmental cell aggregates on template, template-free, tube-shaped cell aggregates could also be made. The cell aggregates formed were alive and maintained biological activities.