3D printing techniques for creating tissue engineering scaffolds

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9604407-B2
Application number	US-201314095202-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2013
Priority date	Dec 3, 2013
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A method for printing a three-dimensional tissue scaffold. An embodiment can include printing a first layer of scaffold fiber with a printer onto a base gel substrate; and disposing a first gel layer over the printed first layer. Another embodiment can include printing a first and second sacrificial fiber with a printer onto a base gel substrate; printing a first scaffold fiber between the first and second sacrificial fiber to form a printed first layer; and disposing a first gel layer over the printed first layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for printing a three-dimensional tissue scaffold, the method comprising:
printing a layer of scaffold fibers with a printer onto a base gel substrate;
heating the printed layer to locally melt the underlying gel so that scaffold fibers of the heated layer sink wholly or partially into the melted gel;
disposing a gel layer over the sunk fibers; and
repeating the printing, heating, and disposing steps multiple times over the gel layer to form successive layers of gel comprising wholly or partially sunk scaffold fibers until a desired architecture of the tissue scaffold is formed.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said printing of the layers of scaffold fibers comprises ejecting a plurality of droplets of a solution of biodegradable polymer from at least one nozzle of the printer.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of droplets have a viscosity ranging from about 6 to about 20 cP.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of droplets have a surface tension ranging from about 20 to about 40 dynes/cm.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of droplets have a size ranging from about 14 to about 25 picoliters.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one printer nozzle ejects the plurality of droplets at a firing frequency ranging from about 20 kHz to about 43 kHz.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the scaffold fibers comprise contiguous droplets of the biodegradable polymer.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the base gel substrate is disposed over a porous substrate, the base gel substrate comprising a gel layer.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the gel layers comprises hydrogels, naturally-derived degradable polymers, synthetic degradable polymers, or combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the synthetic degradable polymers are selected from the group consisting of poly(glycolic acid) (PGA), poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(s-caprolactone) (PCL), polyurethanes, poly(ortho esters) (POE), poly(anhydrides), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), tyrosine-derived polycarbonates, copolymers thereof, and combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the hydrogels comprise poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), agarose, alginate, chitosan, collagen, fibrin, gelatin, hyaluronic acid (HA), or mixtures thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising dissolving the gel layers.

Assignees

• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Leighton Roger
• Mantell David Allen

Classifications

• B29C64/112 Primary

  using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads · CPC title

• A61L27/52

  Hydrogels or hydrocolloids · CPC title

• B29C64/40

  Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• C12M25/14

  Scaffolds; Matrices (in general C12N5/0068) · CPC title