The significance of the overall fibrillar nanoscale topography of the extracellular matrix in promoting essential cellular processes has led to consideration of biomaterials with nanofibrous features. Of the many methods for fabricating fibers, electrohydrodynamics jetting is simplest, most straightforward and cost-effective. This approach becomes intriguingly powerful when remarkable morphological features such as very large surface area to volume ratio are combined with unique chemical, physical, or electrical functionalisation by adding desired components with ease and control. Alongside the widely studied pathways of biochemical regulation by chemokines, cytokines and growth factors, one often-overlooked but significant influence over the behavior of biological systems is electrical signaling. Voltage gradients among all somatic cells (not just excitable nerve and muscle) control cell behavior, and the ionic coupling of cells into networks via electrochemical synapses allows them to implement tissue-level patterning decisions, which is called developmental bioelectricity. Electrical modulation is therefore a potential target for many new therapies for a range of diseases and biological functions. We have pioneered various new techniques to enable artificial, biomimetic, nanofibrous scaffold substrates to mediate cell behavior using electrical stimulation. Anisotropy, photocatalytic stimulation and assembly process as three design parameters for the neuron guide conduits were addressed for peripheral nerve regeneration. By tailoring anisotropic geometry in Melt Electrowritten PCL microstructures, neurite outgrowth were successfully directed along the long arm direction on anisotropic patterned architectures. Moreover, when the anisotropic micropatterns were further functionalized with GO and g-C3N4, visible-light photocatalytic stimulation significantly improved neurite outgrowth of the electroactive PC12 cells.

Electrohydrodynamics based functional nanofibers electrically stimulate neuron and mucle regeneration

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

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