Composite Biopolymer Microtubes - Manufacture and Application via Novel Gel Spinning Technique

Tufts University
posted on 09/02/2011

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Tufts University Categories:
materials:polymers
medical devices:surgical
medical devices:treatment

Additional Keywords:
(none specified)

Invention Summary

Background: Tubular vessels for tissue engineering are typically fabricated using a molding, dipping, or electrospinning technique. While these techniques provide some measure of control over inner and outer diameter of the tube, they lack the ability to easily align the polymers or fibers of interest throughout the tube. Invention: This invention provides for a system for the aqueous spinning of silk fibroin to create tubes for a variety of tissue engineering applications. This method of winding an aqueous silk solution around a reciprocating rotating mandrel offers substantial improvement in the control of the silk polymer and resultant tube properties, specifically in regards to winding pattern, tube porosity, and composite tubes. Silk tube properties are further controlled via different processing mechanisms such as methanol-treatment, air-drying, and lyophilization. This approach to tubular scaffold manufacture has a number of tissue engineering applications including, but not limited to, blood vessel grafts and nerve guides.