Bone marrow is the site of haematopoiesis, the process in which hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) replenish the body with fresh blood cells. For this purpose, HSCs are tightly regulated by their direct microenvironment in so-called stem cell niches. With the help of tailor-made biomaterials, we and others could show that not only biological and chemical factors but also physical parameters play an important role in controlling HSC behaviour in these niches.

Besides HSCs, also mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) and tumour cells in metastatic disease or haematological malignancies such as leukaemia take advantage of the rich environment in the bone marrow. Using scaffold-based in vitro models of the bone marrow, we investigate how the interplay of different cell types and cell-matrix-interactions change during such diseases with regard to their biochemical and biophysical characteristics. Furthermore, we advance our bone marrow models toward drug testing platforms, which allow us to assess the efficiency and potential toxic side effects of e.g. chemotherapeutics.