A rapid, quantitative method for assessing axonal extension on biomaterial platforms.

Measuring outgrowth of neuronal explants is critical in evaluating the ability of a biomaterial to act as a permissive substrate for neuronal adhesion and growth. Previous methods lack the ability to quantify robust outgrowth, or lack the capacity to quantify growth on opaque substrates because they exploit the transparent nature of culture dishes to segregate neuronal processes from an image background based on color intensity. In this study, we sought to investigate the ability of opaque silica sol-gel materials to facilitate axonal outgrowth; therefore, a method was developed for quantifying outgrowth of neurites from dorsal root ganglion explants on these unique surfaces.

Bioactive evaluation of 45S5 bioactive glass fibres and preliminary study of human osteoblast attachment.

Bioactive glass fibres can be used as tissue engineering scaffolds. In this investigation, the bioactive response of 45S5 glass fibres was assessed in simulated body fluid (SBF). Preliminary attachment of osteoblasts to the fibre surface was assessed, as were the fibre tensile strength and fracture toughness.

Bioactivity of tape cast and sintered bioactive glass-ceramic in simulated body fluid.

A common ceramic processing technique, tape casting, was used to produce thin, flexible sheets of bioactive glass (Bioglass 45S5) particulate in an organic matrix. Tape casting offers the possibility of producing three-dimensional shapes, as the final material is built up layer by layer. Bioactive glass tapes were sintered together to form small discs for in vitro bioactivity testing in simulated body fluid (SBF).