Search results for "Scaffold"
showing 10 items of 470 documents
Novel dual-flow perfusion bioreactor for in vitro pre-screening of nanoparticles delivery: design, characterization and testing
2021
An advanced dual-flow perfusion bioreactor with a simple and compact design was developed and evaluated as a potential apparatus to reduce the gap between animal testing and drug administration to human subjects in clinical trials. All the experimental tests were carried out using an ad hoc Poly Lactic Acid (PLLA) scaffold synthesized via Thermally Induced Phase Separation (TIPS). The bioreactor shows a tunable radial flow throughout the microporous matrix of the scaffold. The radial perfusion was quantified both with permeability tests and with a mathematical model, applying a combination of Darcy's Theory, Bernoulli's Equation, and Poiseuille's Law. Finally, a diffusion test allowed to in…
A new printable and durable N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan–Ca2+–polyphosphate complex with morphogenetic activity
2015
Biomimetic materials have been gaining increasing importance in tissue engineering since they may provide regenerative alternatives to the use of autologous tissues for transplantation. In the present study, we applied for bioprinting of a functionalized three-dimensional template, N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan (N,O-CMC), mimicking the physiological extracellular matrix. This polymer, widely used in tissue engineering, has been provided with functional activity by integration of polyphosphate (polyP), an osteogenically acting natural polymer. The two polymers, N,O-CMC and polyP, are linked together via Ca2+ bridges. This N,O-CMC + polyP material was proven to be printable and durable. The N,O-…
Heparin functionalized polyaspartamide/polyester scaffold for potential blood vessel regeneration
2013
An interesting issue in tissue engineering is the development of a biodegradable vascular graft able to substitute a blood vessel and to allow its complete regeneration. Here, we report a new scaffold potentially useful as a synthetic vascular graft, produced through the electrospinning of α,β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl) (2-aminoethylcarbamate)-D,L-aspartamide-graft-polylactic acid (PHEA-EDA-g-PLA) in the presence of polycaprolactone (PCL). The scaffold degradation profile has been evaluated as well as the possibility to bind heparin to electrospun fibers, being it a known anticoagulant molecule able to bind growth factors. In vitro cell compatibility has been investigated using human vascular e…
Micro-Meso Scale Model of Electrospun Poly (Ester Urethane) Urea Scaffolds
2009
Soft tissue engineering applications require accurate descriptions of native and engineered tissue microstructure and their contributions to global mechanical behavior [1–6]. Moreover, micro scale based mechanical models can be used to: (1) guide tissue engineering scaffold design, (2) provide a better understanding of cellular mechanical and metabolic response to local micro-structural deformations, and (3) investigate structural changes as a function of deformation across multiple scales. We present a novel approach to automatically collect micro-architectural data (fibers overlaps, fiber connectivity, and fiber orientation) from SEM images of electrospun poly (ester urethane) urea (PEUU)…
A facile method to determine pore size distribution in porous scaffold by using image processing
2015
Abstract Image processing permits scientists to investigate morphological properties of three-dimensional structures starting from their bi-dimensional gray-scale representation. In many cases porous structure with complex architecture has to be designed in order to attempt specific properties such in the case of scaffold for tissue engineering. Traditional morphological characterization, like scanning electron microscopy, should be coupled with quantitative information such as pore size distribution (PSD) in order to get a deeper understanding of the influence of the porous structure on tissue regeneration processes and on other related applications, it is remarkable to study a quantitativ…
Meso-scale topological cues influence extracellular matrix production in a large deformation, elastomeric scaffold model
2018
Physical cues are decisive factors in extracellular matrix (ECM) formation and elaboration. Their transduction across scale lengths is an inherently symbiotic phenomenon that while influencing ECM fate is also mediated by the ECM structure itself. This study investigates the possibility of enhancing ECM elaboration by topological cues that, while not modifying the substrate macro scale mechanics, can affect the meso-scale strain range acting on cells incorporated within the scaffold. Vascular smooth muscle cell micro-integrated, electrospun scaffolds were fabricated with comparable macroscopic biaxial mechanical response, but different meso-scale topology. Seeded scaffolds were conditioned …
Photocrosslinkable polyaspartamide/polylactide copolymer and its porous scaffolds for chondrocytes
2017
With the aim to produce, by a simple and reproducible technique, porous scaffolds potentially employable for tissue engineering purposes, in this work, we have synthesized a methacrylate (MA) copolymer of α,β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)-dl-aspartamide (PHEA) and polylactic acid (PLA). PHEA-PLA-MA has been dissolved in organic solvent at different concentrations in the presence of NaCl particles with different granulometry, and through UV irradiation and further salt leaching technique, various porous scaffolds have been prepared. Obtained samples have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy and their porosity has been evaluated as well as their degradation profile in aqueous medium in…
PLLA biodegradable scaffolds for angiogenesis via Diffusion Induced Phase Separation (DIPS)
2008
A critical obstacle in tissue engineering is the inability to maintain large masses of living cells upon transfer from the in vitro culture conditions into the host in vivo. Capillaries, and the vascular system, are required to supply essential nutrients, including oxygen, remove waste products and provide a biochemical communication “highway”. For this reason it is mandatory to manufacture an implantable structure where the process of vessel formation – the angiogenesis – can take place. In this work PLLA scaffolds for vascular tissue engineering were produced by dip-coating via Diffusion Induced Phase Separation (DIPS) technique. The scaffolds, with a vessel-like shape, were obtained by p…
3D polylactide-based scaffolds for studying human hepatocarcinoma processes in vitro
2012
We evaluated the combination of leaching techniques and melt blending of polymers and particles for the preparation of highly interconnected three-dimensional polymeric porous scaffolds for in vitro studies of human hepatocarcinoma processes. More specifically, sodium chloride and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were used as water-soluble porogens to form porous and solvent-free poly(L,D-lactide) (PLA)-based scaffolds. Several characterization techniques, including porosimetry, image analysis and thermogravimetry, were combined to improve the reliability of measurements and mapping of the size, distribution and microarchitecture of pores. We also investigated the effect of processing, in PLA-ba…
Learning Platforms: How to Make the Right Choice
2018
Learning through online platform opportunities is one way of organizing a technology-enhanced learning process. This chapter provides an overview of the place and role of learning platforms in the pedagogical process, defines the differences between learning platforms and learning management systems and offers a toolkit for evaluating learning platforms. The toolkit includes 22 criteria divided into 43 sub-criteria, which can be evaluated at 3 levels. This tool can help teachers, school administrators and other stakeholders to make a pedagogically based choice when it comes to choosing which learning platform solutions to use to scaffold student learning in a transformed learning process th…