Laminated three-dimensional biodegradable foams for use in tissue engineering

Abstract

A novel processing technique is reported to construct three-dimensional biodegradable polymer foams with precise anatomical shapes. The technique involved the lamination of highly-porous membranes of porosities up to 90%. Implants with specific shapes were prepared made of poly(L-lactic acid) and copolymers of poly(DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) to evaluate feasibility. The biomaterials produced have pore morphologies similar to those of the constituent membranes. The pores of adjacent layers of laminated devices are interconnected, resulting in continuous pore structures. The compressive creep behaviour of multilayered devices is also similar to that of the individual layers. Recent discoveries from our group and others that organs and tissues can be regenerated and reconstructed, using cells cultured on synthetic biodegradable polymers, renders this method useful in creating polymer-cell graft for use in cell transplantation.