Open AccessFast Automated Approach for the Derivation of Acellular Extracellular Matrix Scaffolds from Porcine Soft Tissues
Author(s) -
Andreea Badileanu,
Camilo Mora-Navarro,
Ana Maria Gracioso Martins,
Mario E. Garcia,
Daphne Sze,
Emily W Ozpinar,
Lewis Gaffney,
Jeffrey R. Enders,
Ryan C. Branski,
Donald O. Freytes
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
acs biomaterials science and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.082
H-Index - 50
ISSN - 2373-9878
DOI - 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c00265
Subject(s) - decellularization , biofabrication , tissue engineering , extracellular matrix , biomanufacturing , scaffold , biomedical engineering , self healing hydrogels , matrix (chemical analysis) , process (computing) , computer science , materials science , chemistry , engineering , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , biochemistry , composite material , polymer chemistry , operating system
Decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds derived from tissues and organs are complex biomaterials used in clinical and research applications. A number of decellularization protocols have been described for ECM biomaterials derivation, each adapted to a particular tissue and use, restricting comparisons among materials. One of the major sources of variability in ECM products comes from the tissue source and animal age. Although this variability could be minimized using established tissue sources, other sources arise from the decellularization process itself. Overall, current protocols require manual work and are poorly standardized with regard to the choice of reagents, the order by which they are added, and exposure times. The combination of these factors adds variability affecting the uniformity of the final product between batches. Furthermore, each protocol needs to be optimized for each tissue and tissue source making tissue-to-tissue comparisons difficult. Automation and standardization of ECM scaffold development constitute a significant improvement to current biomanufacturing techniques but remains poorly explored. This study aimed to develop a biofabrication method for fast and automated derivation of raw material for ECM hydrogel production while preserving ECM composition and controlling lot-to-lot variability. The main result was a closed semibatch bioreactor system with automated dosing of decellularization reagents capable of deriving ECM material from pretreated soft tissues. The ECM was further processed into hydrogels to demonstrate gelation and cytocompatibility. This work presents a versatile, scalable, and automated platform for the rapid production of ECM scaffolds.