David J. Mooney

Hydrogels for tissue engineering: scaffold design variables and applications

Polymer scaffolds have many different functions in the field of tissue engineering. They are applied as space filling agents, as delivery vehicles for bioactive molecules, and as three-dimensional structures that organize cells and present stimuli to direct the formation of a desired tissue. Much of the success of scaffolds in these roles hinges on finding an appropriate material to address the critical physical, mass transport, and biological design variables inherent to each application. Hydrogels are an appealing scaffold material because they are structurally similar to the extracellular matrix of many tissues, can often be processed under relatively mild conditions, and may be delivered in a minimally invasive manner. Consequently, hydrogels have been utilized as scaffold materials for drug and growth factor delivery, engineering tissue replacements, and a variety of other applications.

Growth factors, matrices, and forces combine and control stem cells

Stem cell fate is influenced by a number of factors and interactions that require robust control for safe and effective regeneration of functional tissue. Coordinated interactions with soluble factors, other cells, and extracellular matrices define a local biochemical and mechanical niche with complex and dynamic regulation that stem cells sense. Decellularized tissue matrices and synthetic polymer niches are being used in the clinic, and they are also beginning to clarify fundamental aspects of how stem cells contribute to homeostasis and repair, for example, at sites of fibrosis. Multifaceted technologies are increasingly required to produce and interrogate cells ex vivo, to build predictive models, and, ultimately, to enhance stem cell integration in vivo for therapeutic benefit.

Polymeric system for dual growth factor delivery

The development of tissues and organs is typically driven by the action of a number of growth factors. However, efforts to regenerate tissues (e.g., bone, blood vessels) typically rely on the delivery of single factors, and this may partially explain the limited clinical utility of many current approaches. One constraint on delivering appropriate combinations of factors is a lack of delivery vehicles that allow for a localized and controlled delivery of more than a single factor. We report a new polymeric system that allows for the tissue-specific delivery of two or more growth factors, with controlled dose and rate of delivery. The utility of this system was investigated in the context of therapeutic angiogenesis. We now demonstrate that dual delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-165 and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB, each with distinct kinetics, from a single, structural polymer scaffold results in the rapid formation of a mature vascular network. This is the first report of a vehicle capable of delivery of multiple angiogenic factors with distinct kinetics, and these results clearly indicate the importance of multiple growth factor action in tissue regeneration and engineering.

Alginate hydrogels as synthetic extracellular matrix materials.

Alginate hydrogels are used extensively in cell encapsulation, cell transplantation, and tissue engineering applications. Alginates possess many favorable properties required in biomaterials, but are unable to specifically interact with mammalian cells. We have therefore covalently modified alginate polysaccharides with RGD-containing cell adhesion ligands utilizing aqueous carbodiimide chemistry. The chemistry has been optimized and quantified with reaction efficiencies reaching 80% or greater. The concentration of peptide available for reaction was then varied to create hydrogels with a range of ligand densities. Mouse skeletal myoblasts were cultured on alginate hydrogel surfaces coupled with GRGDY peptides to illustrate achievement of cellular interaction with the otherwise non-adhesive hydrogel substrate. Myoblasts adhere to GRGDY-modified alginate surfaces, proliferate, fuse into multinucleated myofibrils, and express heavy-chain myosin which is a differentiation marker for skeletal muscle. Myoblast adhesion and spreading on these GRGDY-modified hydrogels was inhibited with soluble ligand added to the seeding medium, illustrating the specificity of adhesion to these materials. Alginate may prove to be an ideal material with which to confer specific cellular interactive properties, potentially allowing for the control of long-term gene expression of cells within these matrices.

Highly stretchable and tough hydrogels

Hydrogels are used as scaffolds for tissue engineering, vehicles for drug delivery, actuators for optics and fluidics, and model extracellular matrices for biological studies. The scope of hydrogel applications, however, is often severely limited by their mechanical behaviour. Most hydrogels do not exhibit high stretchability; for example, an alginate hydrogel ruptures when stretched to about 1.2 times its original length. Some synthetic elastic hydrogels have achieved stretches in the range 10–20, but these values are markedly reduced in samples containing notches. Most hydrogels are brittle, with fracture energies of about 10 J m−2 (ref. 8), as compared with ∼1,000 J m−2 for cartilage and ∼10,000 J m−2 for natural rubbers. Intense efforts are devoted to synthesizing hydrogels with improved mechanical properties; certain synthetic gels have reached fracture energies of 100–1,000 J m−2 (refs 11, 14, 17). Here we report the synthesis of hydrogels from polymers forming ionically and covalently crosslinked networks. Although such gels contain ∼90% water, they can be stretched beyond 20 times their initial length, and have fracture energies of ∼9,000 J m−2. Even for samples containing notches, a stretch of 17 is demonstrated. We attribute the gels’ toughness to the synergy of two mechanisms: crack bridging by the network of covalent crosslinks, and hysteresis by unzipping the network of ionic crosslinks. Furthermore, the network of covalent crosslinks preserves the memory of the initial state, so that much of the large deformation is removed on unloading. The unzipped ionic crosslinks cause internal damage, which heals by re-zipping. These gels may serve as model systems to explore mechanisms of deformation and energy dissipation, and expand the scope of hydrogel applications.

Novel approach to fabricate porous sponges of poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) without the use of organic solvents

A novel method was developed to produce highly porous sponges for potential use in tissue engineering, without the use of organic solvents. Highly porous sponges of biodegradable polymers are frequently utilized in tissue engineering both to transplant cells or growth factors, and to serve as a template for tissue regeneration. The processes utilized to fabricate sponges typically use organic solvents, but organic residues remaining in the sponges may be harmful to adherent cells, protein growth factors or nearby tissues. This report describes a technique to fabricate macroporous sponges from synthetic biodegradable polymers using high pressure carbon dioxide processing at room temperature. Solid discs of poly (D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) were saturated with CO2 by exposure to high pressure CO2 gas (5.5 MPa) for 72 h at room temperature. The solubility of the gas in the polymer was then rapidly decreased by reducing the CO2 gas pressure to atmospheric levels. This created a thermodynamic instability for the CO2 dissolved in the polymer discs, and resulted in the nucleation and growth of gas cells within the polymer matrix. Polymer sponges with large pores (approximately 100 microns) and porosities of up to 93% could be fabricated with this technique. The porosity of the sponges could be controlled by the perform production technique, and mixing crystalline and amorphous polymers. Fibre-reinforced foams could also be produced by placing polymer fibres within the polymer matrix before CO2 gas processing.

Harnessing traction-mediated manipulation of the cell/matrix interface to control stem-cell fate

Stem cells sense and respond to the mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix. However, both the extent to which extracellular matrix mechanics affect stem cell fate in 3D micro-environments and the underlying biophysical mechanisms are unclear. We demonstrate that the commitment of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) populations changes in response to the rigidity of 3D micro-environments, with osteogenesis occurring predominantly at 11–30 kPa. In contrast to previous 2D work, however, cell fate was not correlated with morphology. Instead, matrix stiffness regulated integrin binding as well as reorganization of adhesion ligands on the nanoscale, both of which were traction-dependent and correlated with osteogenic commitment of MSC populations. These findings suggest that cells interpret changes in the physical properties of adhesion substrates as changes in adhesion ligand presentation, and that cells themselves can be harnessed as tools to mechanically process materials into structures that feedback to manipulate their fate.

Development of biocompatible synthetic extracellular matrices for tissue engineering

Tissue engineering may provide an alternative to organ and tissue transplantation, both of which suffer from a limitation of supply. Cell transplantation using biodegradable synthetic extracellular matrices offers the possibility of creating completely natural new tissues and so replacing lost or malfunctioning organs or tissues. Synthetic extracellular matrices fabricated from biocompatible, biodegradable polymers play an important role in the formation of functional new tissue from transplanted cells. They provide a temporary scaffolding to guide new tissue growth and organization, and may provide specific signals intended to retain tissue-specific gene expression.

Open pore biodegradable matrices formed with gas foaming

Engineering tissues utilizing biodegradable polymer matrices is a promising approach to the treatment of a number of diseases. However, processing techniques utilized to fabricate these matrices typically involve organic solvents and/or high temperatures. Here we describe a process for fabricating matrices without the use of organic solvents and/or elevated temperatures. Disks comprised of polymer [e.g., poly (D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid)] and NaCl particles were compression molded at room temperature and subsequently allowed to equilibrate with high pressure CO2 gas (800 psi). Creation of a thermodynamic instability led to the nucleation and growth of gas pores in the polymer particles, resulting in the expansion of the polymer particles. The polymer particles fused to form a continuous matrix with entrapped salt particles. The NaCl particles subsequently were leached to yield macropores within the polymer matrix. The overall porosity and level of pore connectivity were regulated by the ratio of polymer/salt particles and the size of salt particles. Both the compressive modulus (159+/-130 kPa versus 289+/-25 kPa) and the tensile modulus (334+/-52 kPa versus 1100+/-236 kPa) of the matrices formed with this approach were significantly greater than those formed with a standard solvent casting/particulate leaching process. The utility of these matrices was demonstrated by engineering smooth muscle tissue in vitro with them. This novel process, a combination of high pressure gas foaming and particulate leaching techniques, allows one to fabricate matrices with a well controlled porosity and pore structure. This process avoids the potential negatives associated with the use of high temperatures and/or organic solvents in biomaterials processing.

Growth factor delivery-based tissue engineering: general approaches and a review of recent developments

The identification and production of recombinant morphogens and growth factors that play key roles in tissue regeneration have generated much enthusiasm and numerous clinical trials, but the results of many of these trials have been largely disappointing. Interestingly, the trials that have shown benefit all contain a common denominator, the presence of a material carrier, suggesting strongly that spatio-temporal control over the location and bioactivity of factors after introduction into the body is crucial to achieve tangible therapeutic effect. Sophisticated materials systems that regulate the biological presentation of growth factors represent an attractive new generation of therapeutic agents for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases. This review provides an overview of growth factor delivery in tissue engineering. Certain fundamental issues and design strategies relevant to the material carriers that are being actively pursued to address specific technical objectives are discussed. Recent progress highlights the importance of materials science and engineering in growth factor delivery approaches to regenerative medicine.