Biomanufacturing for Rapid Healing

Abstract

Additive manufactured tissue scaffolds have been designed to promote cell growth, migration, differentiation, survival and morphogenesis. However, scaffolds have not been designed to prevent microbial/bacterial infections. The aim of this project is to develop tissue scaffolds based on electrospinning and hybrid fabrication processes (additive manufacturing and electrospinning) to increase cell growth and address infection problems. Electrospun PCL/ Surgihoney® skin wound healing meshes were produced by mixing synthetic honey with biodegradable and biocompatible polymers. Different polymeric solutions containing different honey concentrations were produced using both organic solvents and water. An extensive experimental work was conducted to achieve optimised processing conditions. Results showed the successful incorporation of honey and that polymer/honey meshes not only present anti-bacterial properties but also significantly improve cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation. The results show 95% cell viability and that the presence of Surgihoney® has a positive impact on cell proliferation. The work resulted in two research papers (submitted to Applied Polymer Science and International Journal of Bioprinting) and one world patent. Nano-scale electrospun meshes were also successfully combined with microscale 3D printed scaffolds to create a dual-scale scaffolds aiming to mimick the hierarchical structure of biological extracellular matrices (ECMs). Firstly, a standard electrospinning set-up (flat collector) was considered and combined with a screw-assisted extrusion-based additive manufacturing, allowing to obtain meshes with aligned fibres. These results, published in 3D Printed and Additive Manufacturing, were further improved by consider a rotational solution electrospun set-up. Scaffolds containing electrospun meshes with high degree of fibre orientation and density, significantly improving cell spreading, migration and growth. These results, published in Additive Manufacturing, showed a high degree of cell anisotropy by using the proposed approach. The fabrication strategies and the materials proposed in this thesis open a new route for the fabrication of the next generation of tissue engineering scaffolds. Future perspectives on this work will include in vivo and clinical trials.

Date of Award	1 Aug 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Carl Diver (Supervisor), Gavin Humphreys (Supervisor) & Paulo Jorge Da Silva Bartolo (Supervisor)