3D-Printed Tissue-Mimicking Phantoms for Medical Imaging and Computational Validation Applications.

in vivo

Spherical indentation of free-standing acellular extracellular matrix membranes.

Numerous scaffold materials have been developed for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications to replace or repair damaged tissues and organs. Naturally occurring scaffold materials derived from acellular xenogeneic and autologous extracellular matrix (ECM) are currently in clinical use. These biological scaffold materials possess inherent variations in mechanical properties.

Identification of rupture locations in patient-specific abdominal aortic aneurysms using experimental and computational techniques.

In the event of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture, the outcome is often death. This paper aims to experimentally identify the rupture locations of in vitro AAA models and validate these rupture sites using finite element analysis (FEA). Silicone rubber AAA models were manufactured using two different materials (Sylgard 160 and Sylgard 170, Dow Corning) and imaged using computed tomography (CT).

ECM-based materials in cardiovascular applications: Inherent healing potential and augmentation of native regenerative processes.

The in vivo healing process of vascular grafts involves the interaction of many contributing factors. The ability of vascular grafts to provide an environment which allows successful accomplishment of this process is extremely difficult. Poor endothelisation, inflammation, infection, occlusion, thrombosis, hyperplasia and pseudoaneurysms are common issues with synthetic grafts in vivo.

Experimental modelling of aortic aneurysms: novel applications of silicone rubbers.

A range of silicone rubbers were created based on existing commercially available materials. These silicones were designed to be visually different from one another and have distinct material properties, in particular, ultimate tensile strengths and tear strengths. In total, eleven silicone rubbers were manufactured, with the materials designed to have a range of increasing tensile strengths from approximately 2 to 4 MPa, and increasing tear strengths from approximately 0.