Year
2018
Degree Name
Master of Philosophy
Department
Intelligent Polymer Research Institute
Abstract
Tissue engineering describes the combination of cells and biomaterials for the successful reconstruction of biological tissues. Naturally, a wide selection of biomaterials exists depending on the tissue of interest. Collagen is an abundant structural protein in the human body and is therefore a regular choice when fabricating biotissue analogues. As such, the tunability of mechanical and biological properties becomes very important when replicating the biological environment in vitro.
Different methods for forming three-dimensional (3D) networks in biopolymers exist depending on the required mechanical and biological properties. One technique, electrocompaction, was reported to produce constructs with highly aligned collagen fibres, yielding much denser and stiffer scaffolds when compared to gelled collagen.
In this research, we have shown how the underlying principle of electrocompaction was adapted to form curved and tubular collagen scaffolds.
Recommended Citation
Weisgrab, Gregor, Fabrication of customisable collagen-based medical devices, Master of Philosophy thesis, Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, University of Wollongong, 2018. https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses1/756
Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong.