UC Irvine

The development of 2D and 3D in vitro models of human skeletal muscle would provide the ability to examine the structural organization and function of muscle tissue for use in predictive drug screening and disease modeling. Application of such models may offer insight into the initiation mechanisms of genetically inherited muscular dystrophies, specifically Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). This thesis describes the approach taken towards developing both 2D and 3D in vitro models. Here we investigate biomaterial surface modifications that facilitate the development of mature myoblasts for long-term 2D culture as well as the inhibition of fibrin hydrogel degradation for the development of 3D models.