Invention:
This technology is a method of coaxial electrospinning used to fabricate PVA and gelatin into defect-free composite nanofibers with PVA in the core and gelatin in the shell. These nanofibers can be used as composite scaffolds for a variety of applications including tissue engineering and scaffolds for stem cells.
Background:
Electrospinning as a versatile fiber-formation technique has evolved from generating uniform, single-component fibers to creating complex, multiple-component composite fibers with spatially and/or temporally controlled properties. The high specific surface areas, porosities, and micro/nanoscale features of electrospun fibers provide new and/or enhanced functions that are not obtainable from bulk materials and are thus useful for applications in tissue engineering, drug delivery, wound healing, and medical implants. Scaffolds composed of synthetic polymers often have desirable mechanical properties but display minimal bioactivity because of their insufficient cellular recognition sites. In contrast, scaffolds composed solely of natural proteins tend to have high bioactivity but lack the mechanical strength needed for in vivo applications. The fabrication of composite nanofiber scaffolds that integrate the mechanical strength of synthetic polymers and the bioactivity of natural proteins may address the unmet need in vascular tissue engineering.
Applications:
- Tissue engineering
- Drug delivery
- Wound healing
- Medical implants
- Bioscaffold application
Advantages:
- Higher tensile strength
- Reduced plastic deformation
- Increased Young’s modulus
- Increased gelatin bioactivity
- Increased cell adhesion/proliferation/viability
