Patients with aortic heart valve disease are limited to valve replacements that lack the ability to grow and remodel. This presents a major challenge for pediatric patients who require a valve capable of somatic growth and at a smaller size. A patient-specific heart valve capable of growth and remodeling while maintaining proper valve function would address this major issue. Here, we recreate the native valve leaflet structure composed of poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) and cell-laden gelatin-methacrylate/poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (GelMA/PEGDA) hydrogels using 3D printing and molding, and then evaluate the ability of the multilayered scaffold to produce collagen matrix under physiological shear…
Background The anatomical properties of the enthesis of the rotator cuff are hardly regained during the process of healing. The tendon-to-bone interface is normally replaced by fibrovascular tissue instead of interposition fibrocartilage, which impairs biomechanics in the shoulder and causes dysfunction. Tissue engineering offers a promising strategy to regenerate a biomimetic interface. Here, we report heterogeneous tendon-to-bone interface engineering based on a 3D-printed multiphasic scaffold. Methods A multiphasic poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)–PCL/tricalcium phosphate–PCL/tricalcium phosphate porous scaffold was manufactured using 3D printing technology. The three phases of the scaffold were designed to mimic the graded tissue regions in the tendon-to-bone interface—tendon, fibrocartilage, and…