Tissue engineering aims to accelerate and/or extend the human body’s ability to heal by delivering nutrients, signaling molecules and cells on three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds that promote cell growth and support cell migration. Hydrogels are a commonly used material for 3D-scaffolds because they can be tuned to have mechanical properties similar to those of the extracellular matrix in various tissues and can be functionalized with various biomolecules.<br/>Presented is progress towards achieving a complex 3D scaffold multifunctional system for cell culture. Firstly, chemical modifications of the widely-used surface treatment poly-D-lysine (PDL) are made to include integrin-binding peptides, thus enabling access to a gradient of cell-growth compliance of our material. Poly-(2- hydroxyethyl) methacrylate (pHEMA) films coated with modified PDL is shown to elicit a marked difference in cell behavior in NIH/3T3 murine fibroblasts as well as in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) cells. 3D scaffolds are then fabricated via direct-write assembly using a pHEMA-based ink, then coated with modified PDL and shown to provide DRG cells with guiding cues for neurite extension. Cell attachment to the 3D scaffold filaments is then increased by incorporating the modified PDL into the ink used in the 3D-printing process. The biocompatibility of inks consisting of a mixture of HEMA and commercial clay is then assessed. We show excellent cell-growth compliance for clay-inks, which allows us to operate in larger scale regimes and can serve as a first step in the process of synthesizing the next generation implants for regenerative medicine.

Design, surface modification, and evaluation of cell-growth directive properties of 3D hydrogel scaffolds

249th National Meeting (2015)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.