Lesley Chow assistant professor of Materials Science & Engineering and Bioengineering at Lehigh University, and her research team at the Chow Lab have developed a new fabrication technique for scaffolds which serve to organized and direct cell behavior. Their research, published in Biomaterials Science, demonstrates their novel platform’s ability to create continuous and highly organized scaffolds. These scaffolds are then used in the regeneration of two distinct tissues.
The biomaterial scaffolds are created from biodegradable polymers. Each scaffold functions to provide structural support and chemical cues to direct in cell and tissue differentiation. These scaffolds are designed to give the initial support and degrade as new tissue forms. Utilizing 3D printing technology, Chow and her team are able to control the deposition of inks with various materials. The inks are developed using biodegradable polymers with peptide-modified polymers and are seeded into the cells.