• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.669-674
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• 2013

A three-dimensional hydrogel scaffold has been proposed for the effective production of biomimetic intestinal villi to reduce ethical and cost problems caused by animal testing in pharmaceutical development. This study explores an experimental approach to develop a new technique based on laser machining and microdrilling processes to produce a plastic mold for the fabrication of a three-dimensional hydrogel scaffold. For process optimization, both the laser machining and the microdrilling experiments are conducted by varying the experimental conditions, and structural characterization of the mold and intestinal villi were performed using SEM (scanning electron microscope) and OM (optical microscope) images. Polycarbonate (PC) was used as a candidate material. The experimental results show that intestinal villi can be fabricated by both laser and microdrilling machining processes.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.412-417
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• 2015

A critical element in tissue engineering approaches is a control of the mechanical properties of polymer scaffolds to regulate cell phenotype, which may lead to clinically successful tissue regeneration. In this study, we hypothesized that gel stiffness could be a key factor to manipulate adhesion and proliferation of different types of cells. RGD-modified alginate gels with various mechanical properties were prepared and used as a substrate for MC3T3-E1 and H9C2 cells. Adhesion and growth rate of MC3T3-E1 cells in vitro were increased in parallel with an increase of gel stiffness. In contrast, those of H9C2 cells were decreased. This approach to control the mechanical properties of polymer scaffolds depending on the cell types may find useful applications in the tissue engineering.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.44-51
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• 2019

With the goal of tissue regeneration for organs damaged through an accident or a disease, research on tissue engineering has been conducted to produce 3-D scaffolds that can support the cells in the attachment and growth for the cell proliferation and differentiation. A scaffold requires a suitable pore size and porosity to increase the nutrient circulation or oxygen supply for the attachment and growth of cells. The existing production methods such as solvent-casting particulate leaching, phase separation, and fiber bonding have certain disadvantages. With these methods, it is difficult to obtain a free desired shape. In addition, certain pore sizes and interconnectivities among the pores may not be guaranteed. To solve these problems, this study has fabricated a scaffold with a 3-D shaped nose using Alginate, which is a natural polymer obtained through Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), one of the CAD/CAM-based Solid Freeform Fabrication (SFF) methods.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.211-217
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• 2018

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are useful candidates for tissue engineering and cell therapy. Physiological cell environment not only connects cells to each other, but also connects cells to the extracellular matrix that provide mechanical support, thus exposing the entire cell surface and activating signaling pathways. Hydrogel is a polymeric material that swells in water and maintains a distinct 3-dimensional (3D) network structure by cross linking. In this study, we investigated the optimized cellular function for canine adipose tissue-derived MSCs (cAD-MSCs) using hydrogel. We observed that the expression levels of Ki67 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen, which are involved in cell proliferation and stemness, were increased in transwell-hydrogel (3D-TN) compared to the transwell-normal (TN). Also, transforming growth factor-${\beta}1$ and SOX9, which are typical bone morphogenesis-inducing factors, were increased in 3D-TN compared to the TN. Collagen type II alpha 1, which is a chondrocyte-specific marker, was increased in 3D-TN compared to the TN. Osteocalcin, which is a osteocyte-specific marker, was increased in 3D-TN compared to the TN. Collectively, preconditioning cAD-MSCs via 3D culture systems can enhance inherent secretory properties that may improve the potency and efficacy of MSCs-based therapies for bone regeneration process.