Cell-by-Cell Construction of Living Tissue
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Cell-by-Cell Construction of Living Tissue Bradley R. Ringeisen, Heungsoo Kim, H. Daniel Young, Barry J. Spargo, R.C.Y. Auyeung, Alberto Pique, Douglas Chrisey
4555 Overlook Ave. SW, Naval Research Laboratory, Codes 6372 and 6115, Washington, DC 20375
Peter K. Wu
Southern Oregon University, Ashland, WA
ABSTRACT
This paper outlines investigations into a potentially revolutionary approach to tissue engineering. Tissue is a complex three-dimensional structure that contains many different biomaterials such as cells, proteins, and extracellular matrix molecules that are ordered in a very precise way to serve specific functions. In order to replicate such complex structure, it is necessary to have a tool that could deposit all these materials in an accurate and controlled fashion. Most methods to fabricate living three-dimensional structures involve techniques to engineer biocompatible and biodegradable scaffolding, which is then seeded with living cells to form tissue. This scaffolding gives the tissue needed support, but the resulting tissue inherently has no microscopic cellular structure because cells are injected into the scaffolding where they adhere at random. We have developed a novel technique that actually engineers tissue, not scaffolding, that includes the mesoscopic cellular structure inherent in natural tissues. This approach uses a laser-based rapid prototyping system known as matrix assisted Q5.1.1
pulsed laser evaporation direct write (MAPLE DW) to construct living tissue cell-by-cell. This manuscript details our efforts to rapidly and reproducibly fabricate complex 2D and 3D tissue structures with MAPLE-DW by placing different cells and biomaterials accurately and adherently on the mesoscopic scale
Q5.1.2
1. INTRODUCTION The demand and need for arbitrarily engineered tissues is growing, and a great deal of technology envisioned for the future involves highly integrated devices that contain biological components as well as structural and electronic elements. New microfabrication techniques are needed to produce these tissues and devices, which will contain complicated combinations of living cells, biomaterials, polymers, ceramics, metals, and composite mixtures. The next generation of engineered tissues will potentially provide laboratories with an endless supply of living samples to test new drugs, bone-cartilage hybrid structures to treat damaged or aging joints, and surgeons with entire organs for transplant. Other future uses for engineered tissue are tissue-based devices such as an implantable device to remotely monitor a person's health status. These types of hybrid devices will require complex tissue structures to be placed adjacent to miniature electronics needed to gather data and transmit the information via RF communications. The medical community also will benefit from tissue-based devices for automated pathogen monitoring and advanced DNA and protein identification. In order to make these next generation tissue structures and hybrid devices a reality, versatile biocompatible microfa
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