Developing a Tissue

Engineering Scaffold

Stephen FischerGabriella Shull

BME 313

The Challenge• Objective: Create a scaffold that can house the most amount of

cells• Stipulation: Must withstand 3D rotational and translational motion

• Description: Students are given an overview on tissue engineering and the project. Students split into small groups and are provided materials.

• Target Audience Age: Any age group• Background may be explained at more rudimentary level for younger students

• Duration of Project: ~30 min. for building and 15 - 30 min. for discussion

Project Protocol● Protocol can be customized

according to audience or resources.

● Total Duration ○ 37 - 70 minutes

● A short survey before and after may help gauge success of event.

Materials

Total: $33.66

*Note: These numbers accommodate many students. Materials are reusable as well.

Item Price Quantity Supplier

Popsicle Sticks $3.66 100/pack Walmart/ CVS

Pipe Cleaners $10.99 120/pack Walmart/ CVS

Straws $8.98 100/pack Walmart/ CVS

Glue $2.04 1 item Walmart/ CVS

Tape $3.50 1 roll Walmart/ CVS

Colored Cotton Balls $4.49 200/pack Walmart/ CVS

Some Examples

Skin Scaffold Biodegradable Scaffold

Flexible Scaffold

Competition (Optional)- Great way to foster creativity and collaboration as teams

- Two methods to accomplish this

1)Race to Builda) Build a scaffold within a timeframe that supports a designated number of cells

b) Contestants will go to judges for counting when they think they have achieved this

2)Design for Quantitya) Build a scaffold for a particular organ in a period of time that houses the most cells

b) The one with the most cells is the winner

Example: An

Introduction to Tissue

Engineering

Tissue Engineering Introduction

• Tissue Engineering is the creation of tissue to restore, replace, and maintain the function(s) of the body.

• Applications include replacing organs or pieces of organs that are damaged by disease, or injury.

• Can help save millions of livesSource: https://goo.gl/ASevvy

Tissue Engineering Components

1. Cellsa. basic unit of lifeb. require nutrients to stay alive

2. Scaffold (Extracellular Matrix)a. surrounds cells and helps them surviveb. similar to buildings and sidewalks

3. Chemical Signalsa. tells cells and scaffolds what to dob. similar to traffic lights, road signs, and telephone calls

http://www.intechopen.com/source/html/49155/media/image4.png

Scaffold Design

• Different types of scaffolds mimic different types of tissue

• Hard scaffold - bone, cartilage• Soft and Elastic - skin, most organs

• Major design limitations include:1) the porosity (or amount of voids in the scaffold)

- important for nutrient transport

2) the mechanical properties of the scaffold- different cells require

different mechanics

Source: http://www.cellsupports.com/

Source: http://goo.gl/1khB6u

Scaffold Design Challenge• https://goo.gl/HnHBFE

• Break up into teams of 2-3

• Obtain materials• pipe cleaners• Popsicle sticks• tape• cotton balls

• Go!!