2024 AIChE Annual Meeting
(540a) Highly Interconnected Porous Bicontinuous Interfacially Jammed Emulsion Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
Authors
Anjana Khanal, Rowan University
Shiril B. Iragavarapu, University of California, Riverside
Yiqing Chen, University of California, Riverside
Benjamin D. Cruz, University of California, Riverside
Rohan Shrestha, University of California, Riverside
Kevin Dalsania, University of California, Riverside
Huinan H. Liu, University of California at Riverside
Bahman Anvari, University of California, Riverside
Martin F. Haase, Rowan University
Iman Noshadi, UC Riverside
3D bicontinuous biomaterials with interconnected porous architecture represent an emerging native extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimicking scaffold fabrication approach for facilitating cellular processes imperative to optimal regenerative medicine outcomes. In this regard, Bicontinuous Interfacially Jammed EmuLsion (BIJEL)-templated biomaterials represent a promising approach as they exhibit native ECM features with their unique porosity arising from two continuous interwoven immiscible fluid channels interfacially stabilized by colloidal particles. The BIJEL biomaterials offer unique advantages like tunable pore size, shape, and volume, ease of surface modification, and a large interfacial surface area-to-volume ratio conducive to vital cellular functionalities. However, conventional methods of fabricating such porous biomaterials often fail to offer precise control over porosity and suffer from critical limitations rendering them unsuitable for advanced manufacturing processes. Herein, we present an advanced biomaterials manufacturing method for the structural modification of bioinert synthetic polymers such as poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) using solvent transfer-induced phase separation (STrIPS), enabling the continuous fabrication of bioactivated, hierarchically structured, and interconnected porous PEGDA-BIJEL biofibers. In vitro assessment of these biofibers with human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) demonstrated excellent cell migration, attachment, growth, proliferation, and extensive osteogenic differentiation. Moreover, these artificial biofibers were shown to support the maintenance and beating of human induced pluripotent stem cells-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) without specialized protein coatings. In vivo evaluation through subcutaneous implantation in a rat model revealed substantial biocompatibility. Collectively, our results highlight the potential of BIJEL-based materials as advanced implantable biomaterials for regenerative medicine applications.