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Biodegradable Microfluidic Scaffolds for Vascular Tissue Engineering

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

C. J. Bettinger ,
J. T. Borenstein  and
R. S. Langer
C. J. Bettinger
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, MIT, Room E25-342 Cambridge, MA, 02139 Charles Stark Draper Laboratory 555 Technology Square Cambridge, MA, 02139
J. T. Borenstein
Affiliation:
Charles Stark Draper Laboratory 555 Technology Square Cambridge, MA, 02139
R. S. Langer
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, MIT Room E25-342 Cambridge, MA, 02139
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Abstract

This work describes the integration of novel microfabrication techniques for vascular tissue engineering applications in the context of a novel biodegradable elastomer. The field of tissue engineering and organ regeneration has been borne out of the high demand for organ transplants. However, one of the critical limitations in regeneration of vital organs is the lack of an intrinsic blood supply. This work expands on the development of scaffolds for vascular tissue engineering applications by employing microfabrication techniques. Unlike previous efforts, this work focuses on fabricating single layer and three-dimensional scaffolds from poly(glycerol-sebacate) (PGS), a novel biodegradable elastomer with superior mechanical properties. The transport properties of oxygen and carbon dioxide in PGS were measured through a series of time-lag diffusion experiments. The results of these measurements were used to calculate a characteristic length scale for oxygen diffusion limits in solid PGS scaffolds. Single layer and three-dimensional microfluidic scaffolds were then produced using fabrication techniques specific for PGS. This work has resulted in the fabrication of solid PGS-based scaffolds with biomimetic fluid flow and capillary channels on the order of 10 microns in width. Fabrication of complex, three-dimensional microfluidic PGS scaffolds was also demonstrated by stacking and bonding multiple microfluidic layers.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 845: Symposium AA – Nanoscale Materials Science in Biology and Medicine , 2004 , AA1.6
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2005

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References

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