| AVS 58th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition | |
| Biofabrication and Novel Devices Focus Topic | Tuesday Sessions |
| Session BN+NM-TuM |
| Session: | Biofabrication Applications |
| Presenter: | Aung Khaing, Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
| Authors: | A. Khaing, Worcester Polytechnic Institute E. Milkani, Worcester Polytechnic Institute A. Maziarz, Worcester Polytechnic Institute C. Lambert, Worcester Polytechnic Institute W. McGimpsey, Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
A magnetically-stabilized, continuous-flow bioreactor was designed and applied for the controlled growth of rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMC) in a pre-determined shape in a three-dimensional environment. The cells were immobilized on magnetic agarose beads (MABs) and grown into a tube-shaped tissue. By adjusting the experimental parameters, the size of the MABs were controlled. The surfaces of the MABs were biochemically modified and RASMC cell growth on the modified MABs was tested. Initial RASMC tissue rings with MABs grew in the magnetic field inside the continuous flow of culture medium in the first few days. The RASMC tissue tube was formed in a week, and allowed to mature up to about a month before removing from the bioreactor to characterize it. Histological staining of RASMC tissue tube showed that RASMC were circumferentially aligned perpendicular to the direction of the flow of culture medium. The majority of the cells in the RASMC tissue tube grown out of the MABs stabilized in the magnetic field in the continuous flow were healthy and highly proliferating. The system has applications in the fields of tissue regeneration, pharmaceutical production, stem cell amplification and biofuel production.