Modular Bioreactor Design for Directed Tendon/Ligament Tissue Engineering
Functional tissue-engineered tendons and ligaments remain to be prepared in a reproducible and scalable manner. This study evaluates an acellular 3D extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffold for tendon/ligament tissue engineering and their ability to support strain-induced gene regulation associated with...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-03-01
|
| Series: | Bioengineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/9/3/127 |
| _version_ | 1797472754628296704 |
|---|---|
| author | Axel J. Delakowski Jared D. Posselt Christopher T. Wagner |
| author_facet | Axel J. Delakowski Jared D. Posselt Christopher T. Wagner |
| author_sort | Axel J. Delakowski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Functional tissue-engineered tendons and ligaments remain to be prepared in a reproducible and scalable manner. This study evaluates an acellular 3D extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffold for tendon/ligament tissue engineering and their ability to support strain-induced gene regulation associated with the tenogenesis of cultured mesenchymal stromal cells. Preliminary data demonstrate unique gene regulation patterns compared to other scaffold forms, in particular in Wnt signaling. However, the need for a robust bioreactor system that minimizes process variation was also evident. A design control process was used to design and verify the functionality of a novel bioreactor. The system accommodates 3D scaffolds with clinically-relevant sizes, is capable of long-term culture with customizable mechanical strain regimens, incorporates in-line load measurement for continuous monitoring and feedback control, and allows a variety of scaffold configurations through a unique modular grip system. All critical functional specifications were met, including verification of physiological strain levels from 1–10%, frequency levels from 0.2–0.5 Hz, and accurate load measurement up to 50 N, which can be expanded on the basis of load cell capability. The design process serves as a model for establishing statistical functionality and reliability of investigative systems. This work sets the stage for detailed analyses of ECM scaffolds to identify critical differentiation signaling responses and essential matrix composition and cell–matrix interactions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:06:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4ef4ecc3208b4760a5fbcf699c7d9f06 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2306-5354 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:06:39Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Bioengineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-4ef4ecc3208b4760a5fbcf699c7d9f062023-11-24T00:30:29ZengMDPI AGBioengineering2306-53542022-03-019312710.3390/bioengineering9030127Modular Bioreactor Design for Directed Tendon/Ligament Tissue EngineeringAxel J. Delakowski0Jared D. Posselt1Christopher T. Wagner2Department of Biomedical Engineering, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ 08628, USADepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ 08628, USADepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ 08628, USAFunctional tissue-engineered tendons and ligaments remain to be prepared in a reproducible and scalable manner. This study evaluates an acellular 3D extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffold for tendon/ligament tissue engineering and their ability to support strain-induced gene regulation associated with the tenogenesis of cultured mesenchymal stromal cells. Preliminary data demonstrate unique gene regulation patterns compared to other scaffold forms, in particular in Wnt signaling. However, the need for a robust bioreactor system that minimizes process variation was also evident. A design control process was used to design and verify the functionality of a novel bioreactor. The system accommodates 3D scaffolds with clinically-relevant sizes, is capable of long-term culture with customizable mechanical strain regimens, incorporates in-line load measurement for continuous monitoring and feedback control, and allows a variety of scaffold configurations through a unique modular grip system. All critical functional specifications were met, including verification of physiological strain levels from 1–10%, frequency levels from 0.2–0.5 Hz, and accurate load measurement up to 50 N, which can be expanded on the basis of load cell capability. The design process serves as a model for establishing statistical functionality and reliability of investigative systems. This work sets the stage for detailed analyses of ECM scaffolds to identify critical differentiation signaling responses and essential matrix composition and cell–matrix interactions.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/9/3/127tendonligamentmesenchymal cellsdifferentiationextracellular matrixbioreactor |
| spellingShingle | Axel J. Delakowski Jared D. Posselt Christopher T. Wagner Modular Bioreactor Design for Directed Tendon/Ligament Tissue Engineering Bioengineering tendon ligament mesenchymal cells differentiation extracellular matrix bioreactor |
| title | Modular Bioreactor Design for Directed Tendon/Ligament Tissue Engineering |
| title_full | Modular Bioreactor Design for Directed Tendon/Ligament Tissue Engineering |
| title_fullStr | Modular Bioreactor Design for Directed Tendon/Ligament Tissue Engineering |
| title_full_unstemmed | Modular Bioreactor Design for Directed Tendon/Ligament Tissue Engineering |
| title_short | Modular Bioreactor Design for Directed Tendon/Ligament Tissue Engineering |
| title_sort | modular bioreactor design for directed tendon ligament tissue engineering |
| topic | tendon ligament mesenchymal cells differentiation extracellular matrix bioreactor |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/9/3/127 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT axeljdelakowski modularbioreactordesignfordirectedtendonligamenttissueengineering AT jareddposselt modularbioreactordesignfordirectedtendonligamenttissueengineering AT christophertwagner modularbioreactordesignfordirectedtendonligamenttissueengineering |