The present invention is referred to a scaffold able to reconstruct/replace the tendon/ligament tissue, and to the processes to obtain the scaffold. The innovative element of this device resides in its inherent ability to mimic accurately the complex multiscale aggregation of these kind of tissues
| Patent title | Hierarchical multiscale electrospun scaffold for the regeneration and/or replacement of the tendinous/ligamentous tissue and a method for its production |
|---|---|
| Thematic area | Health |
| Ownership | ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA' DI BOLOGNA |
| Inventors | Alberto Sensini, Luca Cristofolini, Andrea Zucchelli, Chiara Gualandi, Juri Belcari, Maria Letizia Focarete |
| Protection | Europe, USA, China, Canada, Australia, Japan |
| Licensing status | Available for development agreements, option, license and other exploitation agreements |
| Keywords | Scaffold multiscale, Tendon, Ligament, Electrospinning, Bundles, Sheath, Sleeve |
| Filed on | 12 June 2017 |
In the tissue engineering research field, the scaffold has a key role in order to confer an ideal environment for cells adhesion, migration and proliferation. The multiscale morphology of the scaffold is crucial for the correct regeneration of the tissues.
The inventors conceived a multiscale scaffold that permits to regenerate and/or replace the tendon and/or ligament tissue. In particular the scaffold is able to reproduce the hierarchical structure and the biomechanical properties of tendons and ligaments. The inventors also designed a method for producing a nanofibrous sheath on the scaffold (similar to the epitenon/endotenon and/or epiligament/endoligament) able to confer protection, mechanical properties, diameter reduction and cells filtration to the scaffold.
Fields of application
- Regeneration, replacement and/or simulation of tendon and/or ligament tissue.
Advantages
- Possibility to include in the body of the multiscale scaffold any number of bundles of any diameter. The sheath is also able to unit each other, some multiscale scaffolds
- Absence of ground collectors in the body of the scaffold to produce the sheath.
- Reproduce the multiscale morphology and the biomechanical properties of the tendon and ligament tissue.
A. Sensini, C. Gualandi, L. Cristofolini, G. Tozzi, M. Dicarlo, G. Teti, M. Mattioli-Belmonte, M. L. Focarete, Biofabrication of bundle of poly(lactic acid)-collagen blends mimicking the fascicles of the human Achille tendon, Biofabrication, 9, pp. 1 - 16, 2017.