The proposed research is a continuation
of the funded project based on an innovative multiple jet electrospinning
technology by the PI from Departments of Chemistry and Biomedical
Engineering in the State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNYSB)
and scientists from Stonybrook Technology and Applied Research (STAR),
Inc. to fabricate a new type of nanostructured bioabsorbable membranes
for tissue engineering. In our initial study, we have successfully
demonstrated two different functional nanofiber membranes for tissue
regeneration: ex situ bioreactors for directed tissue growth in
heart muscle regeneration and in situ bioactive, bioabsorbable and
biodegradable scaffolds for bone regeneration. In this research,
we plan to continue the optimization study of membrane hydrophilicity,
morphology and porosity in order to generate a commercially viable
product. The proposed research will emphasize on cell affinity dynamics
(1) by developing new chemical compositions and blending ratio on
electrospun nanofibers and (2) by using the membrane post treatinent
technology to control the nanofiber orientation and non woven membrane
porosity. We are confident that this study will facilitate the development
of a new class of scaffolds for tissue engineering. The ability
to use the multiple jet electrospinning technology and new materials
composition with great flexibility to fine tune the properties of
the nanostructured scaffolds makes it very attractive in other applications
such as skin healing, tendon, ligament muscle, and cartilage repair,
etc. |
