Ligaments, the meniscus of the knee, tendons and other such tissues present in the human body are collagen-based and fibrous and possess a structured configuration that imparts robustness necessary to endure mechanical loading.
Fibrous biomaterial developed by Penn Scientists (Credit:Brendon M. Baker, Ph.D.; Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania)
Replacement of injured tissues with bioengineered materials requires careful three-dimensional reconstruction of the tissues’ unique architecture. The most popular treatment tool for meniscus tears of the knee, ACL, Achilles tendon ruptures and rotator cuff injuries is the use nano-sized fibers as scaffolds to direct tissue growth in a structured way. The drawback to this treatment method is that the scaffolds are not readily occupied by cells if the nanofibers are crammed in tight.
Scientists at University of Pennsylvania have developed a new technology by which scaffolds of composite nanofibers are loose enough for cells to occupy them while still retaining the ability to guide the tissue growth. The basis of this technology is the incorporation of a transitory space-holding element. By using the process of electro-spinning, the scientists engineered composites comprising of two types of fibers, viz. a polymer that degrades slowly and a water soluble polymer used to control the spacing between fibers by selective removal of the fiber. Dissolved polymer solutions were electrically charged which resulted in the explosion of the solution into a fine fiber spray that was arranged to fall into a rotating drum. The collected stretchable fabric can be either directly implanted or can be shaped as per the medical requirement. Lab tests show that these fibers possess tensile properties on par with human meniscus tissue. The team is currently testing these fibers on large animal models for orthopedic treatment.
Source: http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/
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