BIOENGINEERING AND BIOFABRICATION OF MICROBIAL POLYSACCHARIDE HYDROGELS FOR STEM CELL DELIVERY

Abstract

Research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) is involved in the design of synthetic tissues to replace defunct human tissues. There are three essential components that make up a viable TERM synthetic tissue. In this thesis, by applying the principles of cell biology and polymer science, two of the three components, including the growth factors and hydrogel scaffolds were re-designed by curating entirely natural components to form viable composite synthetic tissue constructs. The intent is to resolve long-standing issues associated with the use of natural polymers to form cell-laden hydrogel scaffolds such as lack of cell adhesivity, poor mechanical properties, and deficient clinical translation. To improve clinical adaptation of natural polymer synthetic tissues, certain burgeoning techniques including 3D-printing and cryopreservation were further explored.