| Author(s): |
Carl G. Simon Jr; Kaushik Chatterjee; Alison M. Kraigsley; Joachim Kohn; Durgadas Bolikal; |
| Title: |
Gas-Foamed Scaffold Gradients for Combinatorial Screening in 3D |
| Published: |
May 01, 2012 |
| Abstract: |
Current methods for screening cell-material interactions typically utilize two-dimensional (2D) culture format where cells are cultured on flat surfaces. However, there is a need for combinatorial and high-throughput screening methods to systematically screen cell-biomaterial interactions in three-dimensional (3D) tissue scaffolds for tissue engineering. Previously, we developed a two-syringe pump approach for making 3D scaffold gradients for use in combinatorial screening and these scaffold gradients were made by a salt-leaching method. Herein, we demonstrate that the two-syringe pump approach can also be used to create scaffold gradients using a gas-foaming approach. Macroporous foams prepared by a gas-foaming technique are commonly used for fabrication of tissue engineering scaffolds due to their high interconnectivity and good mechanical properties. Gas-foamed scaffold gradient libraries were fabricated from two biodegradable tyrosine-derived polycarbonates: poly(desaminotyrosyl-tyrosine ethyl ester carbonate) (pDTEc) and poly(desaminotyrosyl-tyrosine octyl ester carbonate) (pDTOc). The composition of the libraries was assessed with FTIR and showed that pDTEc/pDTOc gas-foamed scaffold gradients could be repeatably fabricated. Scanning electron microscopy showed that scaffold morphology was similar between the pDTEc-rich ends and the pDTOc-rich ends of the gradient. These results introduce a method for fabricating gas-foamed polymer scaffold gradients that can be used for combinatorial screening of cell-material interactions in 3D. |
| Citation: |
Journal of Biomaterials Science Polymer Edition |
| Volume: |
3 |
| Pages: |
pp. 173 - 182 |
| Keywords: |
cell-material interactions; combinatorial screening; polymer; scaffold; tissue engineering |
| Research Areas: |
Polymers, Combinatorial Methods, Processing, Materials Science, Biomaterials, Biomaterials, Bioscience & Health, Advanced Materials |
