Rapid prototyping and manufacturing for tissue engineering scaffolds

Author(s):  
P.J.S. Bartolo ◽  
H. Almeida ◽  
T. Laoui
2011 ◽  
Vol 1299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Wang ◽  
Tatiana Kniazeva ◽  
Carly F. Campbell ◽  
Robert Langer ◽  
Jeffrey S. Ustin ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBiodegradable polymers with high mechanical strength, flexibility and optical transparency, optimal degradation properties and biocompatibility are critical to the success of tissue engineered devices and drug delivery systems. In this work, microfluidic devices have been fabricated from elastomeric scaffolds with tunable degradation properties for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Most biodegradable polymers suffer from short half life resulting from rapid and poorly controlled degradation upon implantation, exceedingly high stiffness, and limited compatibility with chemical functionalization. Here we report the first microfluidic devices constructed from a recently developed class of biodegradable elastomeric poly(ester amide)s, poly(1,3-diamino-2-hydroxypropane-co-polyol sebacate)s (APS), showing a much longer and highly tunable in vivo degradation half-life comparing to many other commonly used biodegradable polymers. The device is molded in a similar approach to that reported previously for conventional biodegradable polymers, and the bonded microfluidic channels are shown to be capable of supporting physiologic levels of flow and pressure. The device has been tested for degradation rate and gas permeation properties in order to predict performance in the implantation environment. This device is high resolution and fully biodegradable; the fabrication process is fast, inexpensive, reproducible, and scalable, making it the approach ideal for both rapid prototyping and manufacturing of tissue engineering scaffolds and vasculature and tissue and organ replacements.


Author(s):  
S. Singare ◽  
W. Ping ◽  
X. Guanghui

This paper reviews the applications of advanced technology such as CT, reverse engineering (RE), computer aided design (CAD) and rapid prototyping (RP) in medicine. We described: 1) the use of RP and medical imaging in surgical planning; 2) the design process for the production of customized medical implants by rapid prototyping; and 3) the fabrication of three-dimensional scaffolds for tissue engineering of human liver. In order to examine the applicability and efficiency of the rapid prototyping technology, some case studies are presented, involving visualization and surgical planning; the design of custom implant for cranial reconstruction; and the use of RP in the production of tissue scaffold. From the results, it has been shown that RP can be applied with high level of accuracy in surgical planning, custom implant and tissue engineering.


2002 ◽  
Vol 729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin R. King ◽  
Chiaochun Wang ◽  
Joseph P. Vacanti ◽  
Jeffrey T. Borenstein

AbstractIn this work, we present for the first time, the fabrication of a fully biodegradable microfluidic device with features of micron-scale precision. This implantable MEMS device is a transition from poorly defined porous scaffolds to reproducible precision scaffolds with built-in convective conduits. First, conventional photolithography is used to create a master mold by bulk micromachining silicon. Next, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) silicone elastomer is replica molded to form a flexible inverse mold. The commonly used biodegradable polymer Poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA 85:15) is then compression micromolded onto the PDMS to form micropatterned films of the biodegradable polymer. Finally, a thermal fusion bonding process is used to seal the biodegradable PLGA films, forming closed microfluidic channels at the capillary size-scale. Film thicknesses from 100μm-1mm are demonstrated with features having 2μm resolution and 0.2μm precision. Scanning electron micrographs of bonded biodegradable films reveal no observable bond interface and no significant pattern deformation. Bonded microfluidic channels are capable of supporting more than 30psi during flow studies, and we have used the processes to develop complex microfluidic networks for cell culture and implantation as well as simple channels to verify the fluid dynamics in the degradable microchannels. The processes described here are high resolution and fully biodegradable. In addition, they are fast, inexpensive, reproducible, and scalable, making them ideal for both rapid prototyping and manufacturing of tissue engineering scaffolds.


2013 ◽  
Vol 750 ◽  
pp. 125-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yih Lin Cheng ◽  
Chin Jen Hsueh ◽  
Su Hai Hsiang

PCL is one of the popular biomaterials used in tissue engineering scaffolds, but it is seldom shaped by photo-polymerization. Layered manufacturing techniques, also known as Rapid Prototyping (RP) processes, provide a great opportunity to fabricate 3D scaffolds without problems such as limited control of pore-size and restricted geometric shapes in traditional methods. In our previous researches, the Biomedical Dynamic Masking Rapid Prototyping System was developed to photo-cure biodegradable materials through visible light. In this research, the Dynamic Masking RP System was modified to photo-polymerize cross-linkable PCL to form tissue engineering scaffolds. The cross-linkable PCL was synthesized by reacting PCL and acryloyl chloride, and dissolved in acetone mixing with photo-initiator. The tensile test and degradation test were performed on the cured PCL samples. Fabrication of single-layer pattern was first tested to understand the system’s capability and showed the errors were within 7%. Two types of scaffold design concepts were adopted—one took square, hexagon, or triangle as a basic element to create 2D grid patterns, and the interconnected pore were produced by offsetting the 2D pattern in alternating layers; the other took a double-sided trapezoid as a unit and arrayed it into tube shape with interconnected pore network. Various PCL porous tube scaffolds have been successfully fabricated in this study. In the future, they can be utilized to cell growth or mass cell duplication applications.


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