Thermally drawn biodegradable fibers with tailored topography for biomedical applications

Authors

Syamak Farajikhah, The University of Sydney
Antoine F.J. Runge, The University of Sydney
Badwi B. Boumelhem, The University of Sydney
Ivan D. Rukhlenko, The University of Sydney
Alessio Stefani, The University of Sydney
Sepidar Sayyar, University of Wollongong
Peter C. Innis, University of Wollongong
Stuart T. Fraser, The University of Sydney
Simon Fleming, The University of Sydney
Maryanne C.J. Large, The University of Sydney

Publication Name

Journal of Biomedical Materials Research - Part B Applied Biomaterials

Abstract

There is a growing demand for polymer fiber scaffolds for biomedical applications and tissue engineering. Biodegradable polymers such as polycaprolactone have attracted particular attention due to their applicability to tissue engineering and optical neural interfacing. Here we report on a scalable and inexpensive fiber fabrication technique, which enables the drawing of PCL fibers in a single process without the use of auxiliary cladding. We demonstrate the possibility of drawing PCL fibers of different geometries and cross-sections, including solid-core, hollow-core, and grooved fibers. The solid-core fibers of different geometries are shown to support cell growth, through successful MCF-7 breast cancer cell attachment and proliferation. We also show that the hollow-core fibers exhibit a relatively stable optical propagation loss after submersion into a biological fluid for up to 21 days with potential to be used as waveguides in optical neural interfacing. The capacity to tailor the surface morphology of biodegradable PCL fibers and their non-cytotoxicity make the proposed approach an attractive platform for biomedical applications and tissue engineering.

Open Access Status

This publication is not available as open access

Volume

109

Issue

5

First Page

733

Last Page

743

Funding Number

CE 140100012

Funding Sponsor

H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions