A novel technique was developed to produce three-dimensional tissue engineering scaffolds with well-defined structure. Photolithography was used to design and pattern a planar scaffold skeletal structure on a photoresist (SU-8), and a variety of microembossing processes including sacrificial layer embossing and bilayer embossing were applied to transfer the skeletal pattern to the poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) substrate as scaffold skeletons. Carbon dioxide was then utilized to assemble these skeletons to a three-dimensional tissue scaffold at a low temperature. Compared with conventional scaffolds, which have a broad pore size distribution and varying pore geometry, these microfabricated scaffolds have a controllable and uniform geometry and structure. This uniformity of structural parameters allows the study of cell attachment and spreading in scaffolds in a controlled and logical manner. The cytocompatibility of these microfabricated scaffolds was studied by seeding three different cell lines with different morphologies and growth patterns into these scaffolds. All three cell lines attached well to the scaffolds and grew to high densities as inspected under scanning electron microscope.
Figure Astrocyte cells grown on (a) non-woven PET fiber matrix and (b) microfabricated PLGA scaffold
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