Poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS), a promising scaffold material for soft tissue engineering applications, is a soft, tough elastomer with excellent biocompatibility. However, the rapid in vivo degradation rate of PGS limits its use as a scaffold material. To determine the impact of crosslink density on degradation rate, a family of PGS materials was synthesized by incrementally increasing the curing time from 42 to 144 h, at 120 degrees C and 10 mTorr vacuum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOur group has previously created a functional neointestine that is capable of restoring absorptive function. However, the endogenous level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is markedly reduced in the construct compared to native bowel. Therefore, we wanted to locally deliver VEGF in a sustained fashion to upregulate angiogenesis in the neointestine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF