18 research outputs found
Numerical Solution of a Complete Formulation of Flow in a Perfusion Bone-Tissue Bioreactor Using Lattice Boltzmann Equation Method
We report the key findings from numerical solutions of a model of transport
within an established perfusion bioreactor design. The model includes a
complete formulation of transport with fully coupled convection-diffusion and
scaffold cell attachment. It also includes the experimentally determined
internal (Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA)) scaffold boundary, together with the
external vessel and flow-port boundaries. Our findings, obtained using parallel
lattice Boltzmann equation method, relate to (i) whole-device, steady-state
flow and species distribution and (ii) the properties of the scaffold. In
particular the results identify which elements of the problem may be addressed
by coarse grained methods such as the Darcy approximation and those which
require a more complete description. The work demonstrates that appropriate
numerical modelling will make a key contribution to the design and development
of large scale bioreactors.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
Bioreactors as engineering support to treat cardiac muscle and vascular disease
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Western World. The inability of fully differentiated, load-bearing cardiovascular tissues to in vivo regenerate and the limitations of the current treatment therapies greatly motivate the efforts of cardiovascular tissue engineering to become an effective clinical strategy for injured heart and vessels. For the effective production of organized and functional cardiovascular engineered constructs in vitro, a suitable dynamic environment is essential, and can be achieved and maintained within bioreactors. Bioreactors are technological devices that, while monitoring and controlling the culture environment and stimulating the construct, attempt to mimic the physiological milieu. In this study, a review of the current state of the art of bioreactor solutions for cardiovascular tissue engineering is presented, with emphasis on bioreactors and biophysical stimuli adopted for investigating the mechanisms influencing cardiovascular tissue development, and for eventually generating suitable cardiovascular tissue replacements