Cave, Richard A., 1982- (2008) The development and characterisation of photopolymerisable resins for the fabrication of tissue regeneration scaffolds. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

Abstract

Microstereolithography is a rapidly developing technique for the generation of 3D structures by the building up of 2D layers and has shown great potential for the development of scaffolds for clinical applications. Significant research has been carried out on the development of functionalised biocompatible polymers specifically for this technique. With this technique there is potential for the fabrication of a patient/injury specific scaffold, by scanning the injured site, developing a 3D model and converting it into 2D layers for fabrication. The construction of 3D scaffolds requires control of the curing depth of the resin to prevent loss of 3D control by through polymerisation into the monomer. This control is present in commercial resins, however, a method using biocompatible materials has not been reported upon. This work demonstrates how natural products, specifically paprika extracts, can be used to control the penetration of UV light into resin, and so control the thickness of layers generated. The behaviour of these resin compositions upon exposure to light has been determined, and equations governing curing depth have been determined. The microporosity of cell growth scaffolds is an important factor in the reactivity of the material, and this is a scale which cannot be controlled in some μSL apparatus due to the lack of resolution. Microporosity has been obtained by the use of monomer soluble, nonfunctionalised polymers. This has allowed the development of scaffolds with increased surface area and so potentially higher reactivity than those without porogens. Material reactivity is also important for scaffolds, specifically in hard tissue replacement, where the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells to osteoblast cells is guided by calcium phosphates. The development of photopolymerisable resins containing hydroxyapatite in suitably stable suspensions is reported upon. These materials can be easily polymerised, and is has been shown that adult stem cells adhere to, and proliferate, on them.

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