FABRICATION OF NANOFIBER REINFORCED STRUCTURES FOR TISSUE ENGINEERING

• Main Authors: BEACHLEY, VINCE, Z, WEN, XUEJUN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 26.08.2010
• Subjects: CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS, ORSURGICAL ARTICLES; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION, OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS, OR SURGICALARTICLES; MECHANICAL METHODS OR APPARATUS IN THE MANUFACTURE OFARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES ORRIBBONS; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS INGENERAL; NATURAL OR ARTIFICIAL THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TEXTILES

Disclosed are composite arrays and methods of forming the arrays. Composite arrays include a hydrogel-forming polymeric network and a network of electrospun fibers embedded within the polymeric network. For instance, the polymeric network can include one or more extracellular matrix proteins. The network of electrospun fibers can describe an open configuration that incorporates sufficient space between adjacent fibers to allow for cellular ingrowth between and among individual fibers. Disclosed composite arrays can be utilized as a supporting scaffold for living cells, for instance in development of bioengineered tissue constructs. L'invention concerne des grilles composites et des procédés de formation des grilles. Les grilles composites comprennent un réseau polymère de formation d'hydrogel et un réseau de fibres électrofilées intégrées dans le réseau polymère. Par exemple, le réseau polymère peut contenir une ou plusieurs protéines de matrices extra-cellulaires. Le réseau de fibres électrofilées peut décrire une configuration ouverte qui incorpore un espace suffisant entre des fibres adjacentes pour permettre la croissance cellulaire interne entre des fibres individuelles et parmi celles-ci. Les grilles composites décrites peuvent être utilisées comme un échafaudage de support pour des cellules vivantes, par exemple dans le développement de constructions tissulaires obtenues par bioingénierie.