Diverse Biomedical Applications of Electrospun Scaffolds.

In this presentation we will discuss strengths and weaknesses of electrospinning as a platform technology for a wide variety of biomedical applications, such as wound dressings, and vascular grafts as well as for creating complex 3-dimensional (3D) structures for tissue engineering. Based on the choice of natural or synthetic biopolymeric materials used and in conjunction with nano/micro-sized additives and crosslinkers, such as hydroxyapatite or genipin, complex electrospun structures can be tailored to emulate mechanical properties of various organs, ranging from neural tissue to bone. Examples for successfully electrospun biopolymers alone or in combinations with synthetic biomaterials, such as PLGA, include collagen, elastin and chitosan. Our laboratory has recently described the use of chitosan scaffolds for repairing critical-size defects in the cranial bone of mice with and without pre-seeding the scaffolds with mesenchymal stem cells1. Importantly, following mineralization and cross-linking, electrospun chitosan scaffolds emulated the mechanical properties of calvarial bone and were able to induce bone regeneration, even in the absence of stem cell seeding prior to implantation. As a weakness, the tight structure and small pore diameters of electrospun scaffolds usually obstruct cell penetration. We will discuss methods to overcome this shortcoming, e.g., by increasing the pore size using sacrificial polymers and or by creating composite blends with increased elasticity. As an alternative to using animal-derived biomaterials, we will describe recent studies utilizing plant derived compounds, such as soy protein, for generating electrospun bioactive wound dressings that are capable of improving the healing of full-thickness cutaneous wounds in rodent and porcine models2.3. Finally, we will discuss the use of synthetic elastomeric biomaterials, such as polyurethanes, in conjunction with innovative manufacturing technologies for electrospinning complex micropatterned vascular grafts4 that mimic the compliance of natural blood vessels or for creating anisotropic, textile- templated, scaffolds, that might be useful for cardiac repair5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]