Optimization of structural and mechanical properties of electro-spun biodegradable scaffolds for vascular vissue regeneration

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.Current replacements for diseased arteries include autologous and artificial grafts. The availability of autologous grafts is limited and artificial grafts tend to fail when applied to small calibre vessels (<;6 mm) due to graft thrombosis and mechanical mismatch between artery and graft. Tissue engineering offers a promising approach to overcome these shortcomings. With porosity as a fundamental prerequisite for tissue ingrowth, several techniques have been introduced for producing porous scaffolds including electro-spinning. This study involved the development and optimisation of electro-spun biodegradable scaffolds for vascular tissue regeneration by tailoring parameters of the electro-spinning process and investigating the change in mechanical and physical properties of the scaffolds associated with hydrolytic in vitro degradation