3D Printer Creates Microchannels in Bioengineered Tissue Scaffolds for Nutrient Delivery.

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- To support the survival of cells growing deep inside bioengineered replacement tissues, researchers have devised a method to create microchannels that allow blood vessels to grow into the scaffold, bringing critical nutrients to the cells, as reported in the September 2006 issue (Volume 12, Number 9) of Tissue Engineering, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com) The paper is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/ten.

Eleftherios Sachlos, DPhil, Duce Gotora, DPhil, and Jan Czernuszka, Ph.D., from the Department of Medicine, University of Oxford (U.K.), describe the use of a modified 3D wax printer to create a mold of a biocompatible collagen scaffold that contains a series of branching and interconnecting microchannels. The scaffold would be seeded with cells to create a bioengineered graft that could replace damaged or diseased tissue. The microchannels enhance the ingrowth of blood vessels to the graft, bringing essential nutrients and removing waste products. Over time, the scaffold would be resorbed by the body.

"This work represents a thoughtful extension of previous tissue engineering scaffold development, incorporating rational design to foster blood vessel penetration," says Peter C. Johnson, M.D., President and CEO of Scintellix, LLC and Co-Editor-in-Chief of Tissue Engineering.

Tissue Engineering is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online that brings together scientific and medical experts in the fields of biomedical engineering, materials science, molecular and cellular biology, and genetic engineering. Tissue Engineering is the official journal of the Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS). Tables of contents and a free sample issue may be viewed online at www.liebertpub.com/ten.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Human Gene Therapy, Stem Cells and Development, and Cloning and Stem Cells. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 60 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at www.liebertpub.com.