UC Irvine

Advancing 2D and 3D in vitro human skeletal muscle model designs that are simple and reproducible would provide a valuable method to extract relevant structural and functional data for use in disease modeling and drug therapy development. Such models could offer a method to investigate the initiation mechanisms behind Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD), an incurable genetic disorder that results in total loss of functional motility. This thesis describes the approach taken to create an in vitro model in 2D and 3D. The role of the substrate and extra cellular matrix are considered key in the 2D patterning of skeletal myoblasts, while the development of the hydrogel matrix for growing elongated myobundles is perfected in 3D. Attempts to optimize these models for the study of human skeletal muscles in vitro so they are consistently replicable have been made.