Polymer Scaffolds

Materials

Synthetic biodegradable polymers are commonly used for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine research, however, only a handful of these polymers have gained regulatory approval for human clinical use. PoroGen produces its polymer reference scaffolds from three clinically approved materials: polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid (PGA) and a block copolymer of polyethylene glycol and polybutylene terephthalate (PEG/PBT). PLA and PGA are arguably the most commonly applied biodegradable polymers in the clinic.

Polymer Scaffolds

Characteristics

Like the ceramic scaffolds, PoroGen polymer reference scaffolds are designed for in vivo application in small animals and for in vitro studies in 48 well culture plates. The scaffolds are cylindrical in shape with a diameter of 6 mm and a height of 3 mm. The scaffolds are constructed from layers of parallel fibers with a 90 degree angle between fibers of adjacent layers. The fibers are approximately 400 µm in diameter and separated by a distance of 400 µm. This results in an overall porosity of approximately 50%.