A computational algorithm for optimal design of a bioartificial organ scaffold architecture

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Biology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Bioartificial organ scaffolds require efficient nutrient and oxygen delivery to transplanted cells.
• Maintaining cell viability necessitates preventing hypoxic conditions within the scaffold.
• Hydrogel scaffold architecture, particularly channel design, is critical for oxygen transport.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a computational algorithm for designing bioartificial organ scaffold architectures.
• To identify an optimal hydrogel channel geometry that ensures adequate oxygen levels for cell viability.
• To analyze plasma flow and oxygen concentration within various scaffold channel designs.

Main Methods:

• A diffuse interface computational algorithm was developed to solve a multi-physics problem.
• The model couples Stokes equations for plasma flow with Biot equations for poroelastic hydrogel behavior.
• An advection-reaction-diffusion model was used to determine oxygen concentration based on plasma velocity.

Main Results:

• The study identified a hexagonal network geometry as an optimal scaffold architecture.
• This hexagonal design sustains oxygen concentration above the critical hypoxic threshold throughout the scaffold.
• The diffuse interface approach effectively handled complex interface geometries in scaffold design.

Conclusions:

• The developed computational algorithm can guide the design of effective bioartificial organ scaffolds.
• Optimized scaffold architectures, like the hexagonal network, are crucial for long-term cell viability.
• Advancements in hydrogel fabrication enable the realization of computationally designed scaffold structures.