Collagen scaffolds reinforced with biomimetic composite nano-sized carbonate-substituted hydroxyapatite crystals and shaped by rapid prototyping to contain internal microchannels.

The next generation of tissue engineering scaffolds will be made to accommodate blood vessels and nutrient channels to support cell survival deep in the interior of the scaffolds. To this end, we have developed a method that incorporates microchannels to permit the flow of nutrient-rich media through collagen-based scaffolds. The scaffold matrix comprises nano-sized carbonate-substituted hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals internally precipitated in collagen fibers.