Understanding Histological Patterns

Histological patterns provide crucial insights into the intricate architecture of various bodily tissues such as muscle, bone marrow, connective tissue, blood, and nerve fibers. The process starts with meticulous tissue preparation, where samples are carefully collected and preserved to retain structural details.


Staining is a pivotal step in histology, enhancing contrast in the microscopic images. For instance, hematoxylin and eosin stain distinguishes cellular components, making nuclei appear blue-purple and cytoplasm pink. Specialized stains like Giemsa highlight mast cells, which play a role in immune response and allergic reactions.


When viewing muscle tissue, characteristic striations and banding patterns are apparent, reflecting the organized arrangement of myofibrils. Observing bone marrow reveals a complex milieu of hematopoietic cells involved in blood cell formation. In connective tissue, an extracellular matrix embedded with fibroblasts and collagen fibers becomes visible, providing the framework for tissue support and elasticity.


The histological examination of blood can demonstrate the abundance and ratio of the various cell types, essential for diagnosing disorders. Nerve tissue analysis shows a network of neurons and supporting glial cells, crucial for understanding neurological function and pathology.


Recognition of these patterns is fundamental for correlating structural organization with physiological function and identifying both normal and pathological conditions. The histologic study is thus indispensable for medical research and clinical diagnosis.

Why building a liver is like solving a 3D puzzle—and how MTM Laboratory researchers are finally cracking the code

November 27, 2025
Recent advances in biofabrication are revolutionizing liver tissue engineering by enabling precise spatial patterning of liver cells to mimic the organ’s complex architecture. Techniques like 3D bioprinting, microfluidics, and self-assembled cell aggregates help recreate critical features such as metabolic zones, cell polarity, and vascular networks. These engineered liver models improve drug testing, disease research, and hold promise for regenerative therapies. Despite challenges in scaling and standardization, integrating multiple fabrication methods and emerging technologies like machine learning are driving progress. Ultimately, these innovations bring us closer to creating functional liver tissues for clinical and pharmaceutical applications. See full article here.

October 18, 2025
𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: This study explores how we can improve lab-grown liver cells for medical research and drug testing. The MTMLab team works with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) - special cells that can be transformed into liver-like cells - because real human liver cells are hard to obtain. However, these lab-grown liver cells don't function as well as mature adult liver cells. The research team discovered that the surface environment where these cells grow is crucial for their development. We created tiny fiber scaffolds made from different materials like collagen, decellularized livers, and chitosan that mimic the natural structure around liver cells. When liver cells were grown on these specially designed nanofibers for three weeks, they displayed higher function compared to cells grown on standard surfaces. Our key finding was that both the material composition and the nanoscale fiber structure were important - stiffer synthetic fibers or softer materials without the appropriate topography or composition prevented proper cell maturation. This research helps create better lab models of human liver tissue that can be used for testing new drugs and studying liver diseases more effectively.

2025 BMES Annual Meeting - MTMLab Member Presentations!

October 7, 2025
Owen Lally Modeling the synergistic effects of alcohol and fats on liver disease via engineered cocultures In Vitro Liver Toxicology Testing of Rat and Dog Hepatocytes to Reduce In Vivo Regulatory Requirements Nathan Shelton Enhancing the Functions and Hepatitis B Virus Infectability of Primary Human Hepatocytes Protein Microarrays to Probe Synergistic Effects of Extracellular Matrix Composition and Stiffness on Liver Macrophages Lesly Villarreal Engineering a 3D Placental Trophoblast Invasion Platform Via Droplet Microfluidics Gas-permeable Plates to Model Synergetic Effects of Oxygen and Endothelial Factors on Liver Zonation Emanuele Spanghero Modeling the Interplay Between Liver and Heart Diseases via a Human Dual-Organ Platform Engineering High Cell Density Beating Cords of Cardiomyocytes and Fibroblasts via Photopatterned Alginate