Prof. Esmaiel Jabbari, University of South Carolina
September 29, 2011
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Biomimetic Engineered Materials for Growth Factor Delivery and Tissue Regeneration
Abstract:
The reconstruction of bone segments due to pathological events remains a significant clinical problem. The high failure rates with allografts are attributed to non-uniform cell distribution and insufficient mechanical strength. In addition, loss of growth factors from the graft by diffusion and soft tissue compression cause serious side effects such as bone overgrowth, tumorigenesis, and immunological reactions. In this regard, engineered micro- and nano- materials that mimic the native organization of tissues hold great promise as a synthetic graft to provide structural support, uniform cell seeding, and on-demand release of growth factors. There are two main approaches to the synthesis of tissue grafts, namely top-down and bottom-up. In the top-down approach, clinically relevant 3D constructs can be produced to fill large defects but this approach provides limited control over cell-matrix and cell-cell interaction at the micro-scale. The bottom-up approach provides enormous flexibility in controlling spatial distribution of cells/biomolecules and cell-matrix interaction, but the assembly of small building blocks to a clinically relevant 3D size is difficult. We have discovered an alternative approach by merging nano-scale polymer phase separation and crystal nucleation with hydrogel micro-lamination to fabricate biomimetic 3D grafts with controllable properties. This approach produces mechanically robust constructs with micro-scale control over cell distribution and growth factor presentation.
Date posted
Jun 17, 2019
Date updated
Jun 17, 2019