3D artificial polymeric scaffolds for stem cell growth fabricated by femtosecond laser

Abstract

Femtosecond Laser Induced Polymerization is an attractive direct writing technique for rapid three-dimensional (3D) micro and nanofabrication in diverse applications. Recently, it has been successfully applied for 3D scaffold fabrication required in biomedicine applications. However, there are still a lot of investigations to be done before it can be used for practical applications in tissue engineering or regenerative medicine. In this work, experimental results on production of artificial polymeric scaffolds for stem cell growth are presented. Parameters (average laser power, sample scanning speed, and developing conditions) for microfabrication in biocompatible photopolymers AKRE (AKRE37) and ORMOSIL (SZ2080) are experimentally determined. 3D custom form and size artificial scaffolds were successfully microfabricated. Adult stem cell growth on them was investigated in order to test their biocompatibility. The results of myogenic stem cell culture expansion were compared to the control growth of the same cells on the scaffolds manufactured out of commonly used biocompatible photopolymers ORMOCER (Ormocore b59) and Poly-Ethylen Glycol Di-Acrylate (PEG-DA-258). Preliminary results show FLIP technique to have potential in fabrication of artificial 3D polymeric scaffolds for cell proliferation experiments. These are the first steps in transferring FLIP fabrication method from laboratory tests to flexible manufacturing of individual scaffolds out of biocompatible and biodegradable polymers. Keywords: femtosecond laser, two-photon polymerization, 3D micro-fabrication, biocompatible photopolymers, artificial scaffolds