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Biodegradable Polymer Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Bio/Technology volume 12, pages 689–693 (1994)Cite this article

Abstract

Synthetic polymer scaffolds designed for cell transplantation were reproducibly made on a large scale and studied with respect to biocompatibility, structure and biodegradation rate. Polyglycolic acid (PGA) was extruded and oriented to form 13 μm diameter fibers with desired tenacity. Textile processing techniques were used to produce fibrous scaffolds with a porosity of 97% and sufficient structural integrity to maintain their dimensions when seeded with isolated cartilage cells (chondrocytes) and cultured in vitro at 37°C for 8 weeks. Cartilaginous tissue consisting of glycosaminoglycan and collagen was regenerated in the shape of the original PGA scaffold. The resulting cell-polymer constructs were the largest grown in vitro to date (1 cm diameter × 0.35 cm thick). Construct mass was accurately predicted by accounting for accumulation of tissue components and scaffold degradation. The scaffold induced chondrocyte differentiation with respect to morphology and phenotype and represents a model cell culture substrate that may be useful for a variety of tissue engineering applications.

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Author notes

  1. Lisa E. Freed: Corresponding author.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139

    Lisa E. Freed, Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Robert J. Biron & Robert Langer

  2. Albany International Research Co., Mansfield, MA, 02048

    Dana B. Eagles, Daniel C. Lesnoy & Sandra K. Barlow

Authors
  1. Lisa E. Freed
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  2. Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic
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  7. Robert Langer
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Freed, L., Vunjak-Novakovic, G., Biron, R. et al. Biodegradable Polymer Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering. Nat Biotechnol 12, 689–693 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0794-689

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