Fiber based scaffolds in connective tissue engineering: Using the architecture of woven scaffolds to influence and control the formation of organized tissues

The skeleton generates locomotion and provides mechanical support for the human body. It is essential in every aspect of normal living, which is most apparent when it is damaged or rendered useless by disease. The repair of the skeletal system by orthopedists is rather common, occurring millions of times each year. During the 1990s it was estimated that nearly a million cases per year were bone graft cases, which makes them one of the most common forms of transplantation in the United States today.; Orthopedic reconstruction restores function, extending and increasing quality of life. Though progress has been made toward reaching this ideal, bone grafting is still fraught with shortcomings. Its weaknesses become most apparent when large skeletal defects like those seen in osteosarcomal resection are treated. Commonly these reconstructions are performed using allografts combined with steel rods and other devices. Synthetic materials may also be used, but full skeletal incorporation never occurs and they remain inanimate. Because they are non-living, these materials accumulate fatigue and eventually fail.; Cell-based tissue-engineered replacements are a strong candidate to address these challenges. This treatment system would be composed of a synthetic material, like resorbable polymer fibers, combined with cells that are loaded onto the fibers. After implantation the system would foster development of a living and thus self-repairing replacement tissue.; This study focuses on synthetic scaffolds and how they interact with the cells loaded onto them. Established principles of contact guidance were applied to influence orientation and growth of cells on these scaffolds. Guidance of cells and their extracellular matrix (ECM) products is shown on the level of single fibers. More important, however, is the direction of cells and ECM when fibers were organized into regular 3-D structures. Cellular organization and direction far exceeded what has been seen on flat surfaces, or single fibers. The goal of this work was to use scaffold architectures to organize cells and ECM in a 3-D manner as is seen in normal tissues. The results of this study indicate the success of this concept and represent a large step toward the development of this technology.