Ti3C2TxMXene Composite 3D Hydrogel Potentiates mTOR signaling to Promote the Generation of Functional Hair Cells in Cochlea Organoids

We verified the properties of Ti3C2TxMXene through characterization and further examined that Ti3C2TxMXene could improve the physicochemical properties of Matrigel. Second, we found the MXene-Matrigel hydrogel maintained the proliferation of Cochlea-Orgs and significantly promoted their differentiation abilities. Then, organoid hair cells derived from cochlea stem cells in the MXene-Matrigel group displayed better electrophysiological features comparable to the Matrigel group and comparable to native P2 cochlea inner hair cells. Furthermore, we found that MXene-Matrigel can potentiate hair cell differentiation by activating mTOR signaling. Finally, we successfully developed an initial co-culture system for Cochlear-Orgs and modiolus to establish innervation of hair cells.