www.cenimat.fct.unl.pt Tissue Engineering Research at the Soft and Biofunctional Materials Group Carlos João, Célia Henriques, João Paulo Borges, Jorge Carvalho Silva, José Luís Ferreira, Maria do Carmo Lança, Tânia Vieira Tissue Engineering (TE) is an interdisciplinary field that combines the methods of engineering with the knowledge of the life and exact sciences for the development of functional biological substitutes to improve or replace the function of damaged or missing organs or tissues. The tissue engineer’s toolbox comprises biomaterials, cells and regulators of cell function. SKIN BONE & CARTILAGE BLOOD VESSELS SPINAL CORD TE projects at the SBMG Microbiological tests with S. epidermidis PVP+AgNO 3 Nanofibers Irradiated with UV for 240 min Control PCL CS GEL GTA 0 20 40 60 80 100 % of initial wound area 4W Control 4W PCL 4W CS 4W GEL PCL CS GEL Former students: Ana Espiga, Ana Luísa Marques, Cláudia Aragão, Falk Meutzner, Helena Cardoso, Maike Gomes, Rita Rosa, Susana Gomes, Tiago Valente In vivo tests with Wistar rats Wound contraction Engineered skin substitute - Biomimetic approach: Porous, flexible, multilayered structure: nanofibers Comprising both dermal and epidermal - full skin - equivalents Use of autologous cells (from the patient himself) PCL Skin2: a biosynthetic second skin, engineered to treat severe burn wounds PTDC/SAU-BMA/109886/2009, 160 k€ Ag Nanoparticles CS GEL CC with 280 μm gelatin/ PVA microspheres PCL ICCs assessed with ATDC5 cells (pre-chondrocytes) control Alcian Blue control Safranin PCL ICC, 280 μm pores. 20% PCL solution, freeze-dried Surface Pores DAPI nuclear staining Bioreactor culture chamber Chitosanbased inverse opals produced from the mesophases of this biopolymer will be able to mimic the structure of the extracellular matrix of bone. Inverted Colloidal Crystal Scaffolds Microspheres production and assembly in a cubic close packed lattice Infiltration with polymeric liquid crystalline solutions Inverse replication by microspheres removal Histology In vitro adhesion and proliferation tests with human dermal fibroblasts (16±3)µm/h Biodegradable, hemocompatible, tubular scaffolds made from polymeric nanofibers incorporating topographical cues for directing cell migration and organization Cell migration along aligned fibers Average speed: (16±3) µm/h High speed collector for the production of tubular scaffolds Aligned PCL fibers PCL multifibers Staining for glicosaminoglycans with Safranin and Alcian Blue. Current students: Carolina Pádua, Constança Garcia, João Miranda, Joana Bianchi, Luísa Fialho, Marc Silva, Margarida Rebelo, Nuno Figueiredo, Vasco Caetano 2D FFT analysis of scaffold anisotropy: frequency plots and alignment plots. Flanders A E et al. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 1999;20:926-934 Low-cervical lesion in a 24-year-old man with a C4 neurologic level injury (ASIA grade B) sustained after a diving accident. No motor function is preserved below the neu- rological level. What happens? Axonal connections are lost. Diffusion Tensor Tractography image of an injured spinal cord Can materials help? We are working on that! Tailoring materials to promote SCI repair In vitro, primary neurons on PCL/Chitosan aligned electrospun nanofibers. N1E-115 cell after 5 days in differentiation medium Scaffolds may influence neural cells through multiple cues: topographical, mechanical, biochemical and electrical Scaffolds may support cell transplantation and influence cell fate of stem cells. Controlling topographic properties of materials to guide and enhance neurite outgrowth Cylindrical rotating collector with variable rotating speed 250 rpm, chitosan 4000 rpm, chitosan 0 d 1 week 2 weeks 4 weeks