Techno-economic analyses offer insights into how industrial cultivated meat (CM) production could achieve price parity with conventional meat. These analyses use scaling practices, data and facility designs for related bioprocessing fields, including large (≥20,000 l) stirred tank bioreactors and suspension-tolerant, continuously available cell lines. This approach is inconsistent with most primary CM literature, which parallels bench-scale tissue engineering.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHydrogels, typically favored for 3D printing due to their viscoelasticity, are now trending toward ecofriendly alternatives amid growing environmental concerns. In this study, we crafted cellulose-based hydrogels, specifically employing cellulose acetate sulfate (CAS). By keeping the acetyl group substitution degree (DS = 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecapitulation of the microstructural organization of cellular and extracellular components found in natural tissues is an important but challenging feat for tissue engineering, which demands innovation across both process and material fronts. In this work, a highly versatile ultrasound-assisted biofabrication (UAB) approach is demonstrated that utilizes radiation forces generated by superimposing ultrasonic bulk acoustic waves to rapidly organize arrays of cells and other biomaterial additives within single and multilayered hydrogel constructs. UAB is used in conjunction with a novel hybrid bioink system, comprising of cartilage-forming cells (human adipose-derived stem cells or chondrocytes) and additives to promote cell adhesion (collagen microaggregates or polycaprolactone microfibers) encapsulated within gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels, to fabricate cartilaginous tissue constructs featuring bulk anisotropy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is a need for the development of effective treatments for focal articular cartilage injuries. We previously developed a multiphasic 3D-bioplotted osteochondral scaffold design that can drive site-specific tissue formation when seeded with adipose-derived stem cells (ASC). The objective of this study was to evaluate this scaffold in a large animal model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSterilization is a necessary step during the processing of biomaterials, but it can affect the materials' functional characteristics. This study characterizes the effects of three commonly used sterilization processes-autoclaving (heat-based), ethanol (EtOH; chemical-based), and ultraviolet (UV; radiation-based)-on the chemical, mechanical, printability, and biocompatibility properties of alginate, a widely used biopolymer for drug delivery, tissue engineering, and other biomedical applications. Sterility assessment tests showed that autoclaving was effective against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria at loads up to 10 CFU/mL, while EtOH was the least effective.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWiley Interdiscip Rev Nanomed Nanobiotechnol
March 2021
Recapitulation of multiscale structure-function properties of cells, cell-secreted extracellular matrix, and 3D architecture of natural tissues is central to engineering biomimetic tissue substitutes. Toward achieving biomimicry, a variety of biofabrication processes have been developed, which can be broadly classified into five categories-fiber and fabric formation, additive manufacturing, surface modification, remote fields, and other notable processes-each with specific advantages and limitations. The majority of biofabrication literature has focused on using a single process at a time, which often limits the range of tissues that could be created with relevant features that span nano to macro scales.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTissue Eng Part C Methods
July 2020
Engineered scaffolds used to regenerate mammalian tissues should recapitulate the underlying fibrous architecture of native tissue to achieve comparable function. Current fibrous scaffold fabrication processes, such as electrospinning and three-dimensional (3D) printing, possess application-specific advantages, but they are limited either by achievable fiber sizes and pore resolution, processing efficiency, or architectural control in three dimensions. As such, a gap exists in efficiently producing clinically relevant, anatomically sized scaffolds comprising fibers in the 1-100 μm range that are highly organized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater
July 2020
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that limits mobility of the affected joint due to the degradation of articular cartilage and subchondral bone. The limited regenerative capacity of cartilage presents significant challenges when attempting to repair or reverse the effects of cartilage degradation. Tissue engineered medical products are a promising alternative to treat osteochondral degeneration due to their potential to integrate into the patient's existing tissue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Musculoskeletal soft tissues possess highly aligned extracellular collagenous networks that provide structure and strength. Such an organization dictates tissue-specific mechanical properties but can be difficult to replicate by engineered biological substitutes. Nanofibrous electrospun scaffolds have demonstrated the ability to control cell-secreted collagen alignment, but concerns exist regarding their scalability for larger and anatomically relevant applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiofabrication processes can affect biological quality attributes of encapsulated cells within constructs. Currently, assessment of the fabricated constructs is performed offline by subjecting the constructs to destructive assays that require staining and sectioning. This drawback limits the translation of biofabrication processes to industrial practice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFElectrospun scaffolds provide a dense framework of nanofibers with pore sizes and fiber diameters that closely resemble the architecture of native extracellular matrix. However, it generates limited three-dimensional structures of relevant physiological thicknesses. 3D printing allows digitally controlled fabrication of three-dimensional single/multimaterial constructs with precisely ordered fiber and pore architecture in a single build.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches have the potential to overcome the challenges associated with current treatment strategies for meniscus injuries. 3D-Bioplotted scaffolds are promising, but have not demonstrated the ability to guide the formation of aligned collagenous matrix in vivo, which is critical for generating functional meniscus tissue. In this study, we evaluate the ability of 3D-Bioplotted scaffold designs with varying interstrand spacing to induce the deposition of aligned matrix in vivo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBioinks play a central role in 3D-bioprinting by providing the supporting environment within which encapsulated cells can endure the stresses encountered during the digitally driven fabrication process and continue to mature, proliferate, and eventually form extracellular matrix (ECM). In order to be most effective, it is important that bioprinted constructs recapitulate the native tissue milieu as closely as possible. As such, musculoskeletal soft tissue constructs can benefit from bioinks that mimic their nanofibrous matrix constitution, which is also critical to their function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfection or damage to the trachea, a thin walled and cartilage reinforced conduit that connects the pharynx and larynx to the lungs, leads to serious respiratory medical conditions which can often prove fatal. Current clinical strategies for complex tracheal reconstruction are of limited availability and efficacy, but tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches may provide viable alternatives. In this study, we have developed a new "hybrid graft" approach that utilizes decellularized tracheal tissue along with a resorbable polymer scaffold, and holds promise for potential clinical applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrthopaedic implants improve the quality of life of patients, but the risk of postoperative surgical site infection poses formidable challenges for clinicians. Future directions need to focus on prevention and treatment of infections associated with common arthroplasty procedures, such as the hip, knee, and shoulder, and nonarthroplasty procedures, including trauma, foot and ankle, and spine. Novel prevention methods, such as nanotechnology and the introduction of antibiotic-coated implants, may aid in the prevention and early treatment of periprosthetic joint infections with goals of improved eradication rates and maintaining patient mobility and satisfaction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPost-operative infection is a major risk associated with implantable devices. Prior studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of ionic silver as an alternative to antibiotic-based infection prophylaxis and treatment. The focus of this study is on an electrically activated implant system engineered for active release of antimicrobial silver ions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is a pressing need to control the occurrences of nosocomial infections due to their detrimental effects on patient well-being and the rising treatment costs. To prevent the contact transmission of such infections via health-critical surfaces, a prophylactic surface system that consists of an interdigitated array of oppositely charged silver electrodes with polymer separations and utilizes oligodynamic iontophoresis has been recently developed. This paper presents a systematic study that empirically characterizes the effects of the surface system parameters on its antibacterial efficacy, and validates the system's effectiveness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWiley Interdiscip Rev Nanomed Nanobiotechnol
March 2014
Nanomaterials play a significant role in biomedical research and applications because of their unique biological, mechanical, and electrical properties. In recent years, they have been utilized to improve the functionality and reliability of a wide range of implantable medical devices ranging from well-established orthopedic residual hardware devices (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe costs associated with the treatment of medical device and surgical site infections are a major cause of concern in the global healthcare system. To prevent transmission of such infections, a prophylactic surface system that provides protracted release of antibacterial silver ions using low intensity direct electric current (LIDC; 28 μA system current at 6 V) activation has been recently developed. To ensure the safety for future in vivo studies and potential clinical applications, this study assessed the biocompatibility of the LIDC-activated interdigitated silver electrodes-based surface system; in vitro toxicity to human epidermal keratinocytes, human dermal fibroblasts, and normal human osteoblasts, and antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was evaluated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis paper reports the fabrication methodology and characterization results for an electrically activated silver-polymer-based antibacterial surface with primary applications in preventing indirect contact transmission of infections. The surface consists of a micro-scale grating pattern of alternate silver electrodes and SU-8 partitions with a minimum feature size of 20 µm, and activated by an external voltage. In this study, prototype coupons (15 mm × 15 mm) of the antibacterial surface were fabricated on silicon substrates using two sets of lithographies, and analyzed for their physical characteristics using microscopy and surface profilometry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe increased use of Residual Hardware Devices (RHDs) in medicine combined with antimicrobial resistant-bacteria make it critical to reduce the number of RHD associated osteomyelitic infections. This paper proposes a surface treatment based on ionic emission to create an antibiotic environment that can significantly reduce RHD associated infections. The Kirby-Bauer agar gel diffusion technique was adopted to examine the antimicrobial efficacy of eight metals and their ionic forms against seven microbes commonly associated with osteomyelitis.
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