Additive Manufacturing: The Next Generation of Scapholunate Ligament Reconstruction.

 Ligament reconstruction, as a surgical method used to stabilize joints, requires significant strength and tissue anchoring to restore function. Historically, reconstructive materials have been fraught with problems from an inability to withstand normal physiological loads to difficulties in fabricating the complex organization structure of native tissue at the ligament-to-bone interface. In combination, these factors have prevented the successful realization of nonautograft reconstruction.

Acid Scavenger Free Synthesis of Oligo(Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Fumarate) Utilizing Inert Gas Sparging.

The macromolecule oligo(poly(ethylene glycol) fumarate) (OPF) exhibits promising attributes for creating suitable three-dimensional hydrogel environments to study cell behavior, deliver therapeutics, and serve as a degradable, nonfouling material. However, traditional synthesis techniques are time consuming, contain salt contaminants, and generate significant waste. These issues have been overcome with an alternative, one-pot approach that utilizes inert gas sparging.

Formulation of stabilizer-free, nontoxic PLGA and elastin-PLGA nanoparticle delivery systems.

Biocompatible nanoparticles composed of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) are used as drug and vaccine delivery systems because of their tunability in size and sustained release of cargo molecules. While the use of toxic stabilizers such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) limit the utility of PLGA, stabilizer-free PLGA nanoparticles are rarely used because they can be challenging to prepare. Here, we developed a tunable, stabilizer-free PLGA nanoparticle formulation capable of encapsulating plasmid DNA and demonstrated the formation of an elastin-like polymer PLGA hybrid nanoparticle with exceptional stability and biocompatibility.

Single-Cell Response to the Rigidity of Semiconductor Nanomembranes on Compliant Substrates.

Single-crystalline semiconductor nanomembranes (NMs) bonded to compliant substrates are increasingly used for biomedical research and in health care. Nevertheless, there is a limited understanding of how individual cells sense the unique mechanical properties of these substrates and adjust their behavior in response to them. In this work, we performed proliferation assays, cytoskeleton analysis, and focal adhesion (FA) studies for NIH-3T3 fibroblasts on 220 and 20 nm single-crystalline Si on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates with an elastic modulus of ∼31 kPa.

Isolated effect of material stiffness on valvular interstitial cell differentiation.

Previous methods for investigating material stiffness on cell behavior have focused on the use of substrates with limited ranges of stiffness and/or fluctuating surface chemistries. Using the co-polymer system of n-octyl methacrylate crosslinked with diethylene glycol dimethacrylate (DEGDMA/nOM), we developed a new cell culture platform to analyze the isolated effects of stiffness independent from changes in surface chemistry. Materials ranging from 25 kPa to 4,700 kPa were fabricated.

Surface chemistry regulates valvular interstitial cell differentiation in vitro.

Unlabelled: The primary driver for valvular calcification is the differentiation of valvular interstitial cells (VICs) into a diseased phenotype. However, the factors leading to the onset of osteoblastic-like VICs (obVICs) and resulting calcification are not fully understood. This study isolates the effect of substrate surface chemistry on in vitro VIC differentiation and calcified tissue formation.