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3D Microtissues for Injectable Regenerative Therapy and High-throughput Drug Screening
Published on: October 4, 2017
Fiber-reinforced colloidal gels as injectable and moldable biomaterials for regenerative medicine
Mani Diba1, Alessandro Polini1, Daniela Geta Petre1
1Department of Biomaterials, Radboud University Medical Center, Philips van Leydenlaan 25, 6525 EX Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Abstract:
Hydrogels are the preferred material choice for various strategies in regenerative medicine. Nevertheless, due to their high water content and soft nature, these materials are often mechanically weak, which limits their applicability. This study demonstrates mechanical reinforcement of colloidal gels at microscale using discrete polyester fibers, as confirmed by rheological, compression and nanoindentation tests. This reinforcement strategy results in injectable and moldable colloidal gels with improved mechanical performance. The fully organic gels presented here are cytocompatible and can maintain their mechanical integrity under physiological conditions. Consequently, these gels exhibit a strong potential for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
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