AVS 50th International Symposium
    Biomaterial Interfaces Tuesday Sessions
       Session BI-TuP

Paper BI-TuP18
Customized Tissue Engineering Using Photopolymerizable Hydrogels and Stereolithography Techniques

Tuesday, November 4, 2003, 5:30 pm, Room Hall A-C

Session: Poster Session
Presenter: B. Dhariwala, Clemson University
Authors: B. Dhariwala, Clemson University
E. Hunt, Clemson University
T. Boland, Clemson University
Correspondent: Click to Email
The power of tissue engineering can be enhanced using customizable scaffolds to repair defects caused by birth or accidents. For customized tissue engineering, one of the variables accessible and tunable by the engineer is the form and aspects of the scaffold onto which cells are seeded. Here we are studying hydrogels as materials that can be used for custom designed scaffolds. For this study, we employed photopolymerizable hydrogels fabricated by crosslinking polyethylene oxide (PEO) with polyethylene dimethacrylate (PEGDM) monomer using 2-methyl-1-[4-(hydroxyethoxy)phenyl]-2-methyl-1-propanone (IRGACURE) as the photoinitiator. Several hydrogels have been prepared including custom shaped hydrogels made using polypropylene molds. Initial characterization of these gels will be presented. Use of stereolithography technique has been carried out to make customized scaffolds. This is a computerized technique where a high intensity UV laser beam is used to form the hydrogel according to a 3D image of the defect. The laser scans in the X-Y plane and there is a movable platform which serves as the Z plane. Different scaffold shapes were made using this technique. Some mechanical tests were carried out on the polymer will also be overviewed and their results will be shown. Toxicity studies of the photoinitiator were carried out to determine adequate amount of initiator to be used. Initial cell studies were carried out to ensure cell viability in the polymer. Cells were mixed with the polymer, which was then photopolymerized, and their viability was studied and results will be discussed. We would further investigate cell viability & cell growth over extended periods of time. Stereolithography is a very efficient method of preparing 3D scaffolds and holds a promising future for tissue engineering.