Osteoblasts seeded on an electrospun PLLA scaffold
Electrospun Nanofibrous Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering (Chu/Hsiao):
In recent years, much research in tissue engineering has investigated the feasibility of electrospun scaffolds as the basis for cell regeneration in tissue repair. The inherent advantages afforded by the electrospinning process include an extremely high surface area-to-volume ratio, nanofiber creation, and a proclivity for cellular in-growth. The flexibility of this process includes a wide array of synthetic and natural biocompatible polymers in the scaffold composition, inclusion of bioactive molecules (e.g. DNA, proteins) for enhancing therapeutic applications, and ability to control material and mechanical properties via the electrospinning process – all advantageous parameters that contribute to the promise of utilizing electrospun scaffolds in tissue repair. One of our current projects investigates the efficacy of PLLA scaffolds as a means of tissue regeneration. Seeded cells within scaffolds composed of varying combinations of synthetic and natural polymers are examined in vitro for cell viability, adhesion, migration, proliferation, and differentiation. All of these events are systematically analyzed as they are crucial steps in determining the efficacy of such cell-containing scaffolds that will ultimately be cultured ex vivo and subsequently implanted in vivo. This is a collaborative project with Dr. Michael Hadjiargyrou of the Biomedical Engineering Department at Stony Brook.
Extracellular matrix (blue) produced by osteoblasts (red)