Micro/Nanoporous Scaffolds

for Tissue Engineering

Applications
Department of Chemical Engineering and
Materials Science
Amrita School of Engineering
Coimbatore – 641 105
October 2008
Zeroth Review
By
Divya Haridas (CB105PE012)
Karthikeyan G (CB105PE023)
Krishna Priya C (CB105PE025)
Premika G (CB105PE028)

Guide
Dr. Murali Rangarajan. Ph.D

Co-Guide
Dr. Nikhil K Kothurkar. Ph.D
 Motivation of Tissue Engineering
 … Today around 80000 Indians are waiting for
Organ / Tissue Transplantation

 Many children suffer from crippling diseases and

deformities

 Current therapies like bone grafting has many

limitations
 additional cost of the harvesting procedure

 pain and infection at the harvesting site

 Concept of Tissue Engineering

 Life science and

Engineering dealing
with the
development of
biological
substitutes that
restore, maintain
and improve tissue
functions or a whole
organ
 Polymeric Scaffolds
 Three dimensional
scaffolds play
important roles as
extracellular matrices
onto which cells can
attach, grow, and form
new tissues

 Modeling, design and

fabrication of scaffolds
are always a difficult
task in the
regenerative tissue
engineering
Scaffolds – Bone Formation
 Scaffold Considerations
 Matrix Material Characteristics
 Bioactive and Biocompatible

 Slow degradability
 For stable scaffold morphology
 For homogeneity of new tissues

 High Porosity & interconnectivity

 To minimize the amount of implanted polymer
 To increase specific surface area for cell attachment &
tissue in growth
 Scaffold Considerations
 Pore Size
 150 – 500 µm for bones, < 50 µm for organs

 3D Pore architecture
 Allows for cell attachment , proliferation and
differentiation
 Provides pathways for bio-fluids
 Pore architecture influences mechanical strength

 Tailoring possibilities
 Controllable pore size, porosity
 Control of matrix design
 Fabrication Techniques
 Electrospinning - High voltage electrostatic field is
applied to polymer solution to form non-woven scaffold
fibers

 Solid Freeform Fabrication - 3D scaffold is constructed

from 2D layers (CAD/CAM methodologies) using 3D
positioning system and extrusion head

 Fiber Bonding - Polymer fibers are immersed in polymer

solution. On heating, the fibers weld together and polymer
melts and fills the voids. Removal of polymer results in
porous scaffold
 Fabrication Techniques
 Phase Separation - A homogeneous multi-component
system phase separates (polymer rich - polymer lean
phase) under certain conditions. Removal of solvent results
in solidification of polymer rich phase which forms porous
scaffold

 Solvent Casting and Particulate Leaching - Polymer

solution is cast into the particle assembly (salt, paraffin).
Vacuum is applied to evaporate the solvent. Particles are
leached using solvent. Pore architecture resembles the
particles
 Technique Advantages Disadvantages
Good mechanical Costly process, poor
Electrospinning strength, highly porous control over internal
structure architecture

Solid Freeform Good mechanical High processing

Fabrication strength, solvent free temperature

Limited range of
Fiber Bonding High porosity polymer, Residual
solvent, lack mechanical
strength

Highly porous Poor internal

Phase Separation structure, permit architecture, limited
incorporation of range of pore size
bioactive agents
Solvent Large range of pore Poor control over
Casting/Particulate size, good control of internal architecture
Leaching porosity and pore size
 Focus of the Project
 Preparation of Scaffold from the feasible
Fabrication Technique

 Incorporation of Hydroxyapatite for Bone Tissue

Engineering Application

 Characterization of Fabricated Scaffolds

 Modeling and Simulation of HAp incorporated

Scaffolds
 Methodology

Step 1
Identification of Fabrication Method

 The Particulate Leaching method is identified

through Literature Survey during August –
September 2008 by considering the constraints
like do-ability in the Institution, with limited
financial resources, in limited time
 Methodology

Step 2
Fabrication of Scaffolds by Particulate Leaching
Technique

Preparation of
Solid Paraffin
Spheres
Ma PX, Ji-Won Choi. Biodegradable Polymer Scaffolds with Well Defined Interconnected
Spherical Pore Network. Tissue Engineering 2001;7(1):23-33.
 Methodology

Step 2
Fabrication of Scaffolds by Particulate Leaching
Technique

Preparation of
Polymer Foam

Ma PX, Ji-Won Choi. Biodegradable Polymer Scaffolds with Well Defined Interconnected
Spherical Pore Network. Tissue Engineering 2001;7(1):23-33.
 Methodology

Step 3
Incorporation of Hydroxyapatite and fabricating
Scaffolds

 The major mineral phase in the bone is

Hydroxyapatite. Incorporating them in Polymer
Scaffolds offers bone regeneration potential

 Literature Survey on HAp incorporation in

Polymeric Scaffolds and its fabrication
 Methodology

Step 4
Characterization

 Density
 Porosity
 Morphology to be studied using SEM
 Compressive Modulus using a Mechanical Tester
 Methodology

Step 5
Modeling and Simulation

 To study the kinetics of Hydroxyapatite (HAp)

incorporation

 Physical /chemical absorption of HAp

 Resulting morphology changes in scaffold

 Project Calendar
Au Sep Oct No Dec Jan Feb Ma Apr
g v r
Literature Survey
Materials Purchase
Experimental Process
HAp Incorporation
Characterization
Modeling and Simulation
Final Report
Thank you