Multifunctional Electrospun Scaffolds for Promoting Neuronal Differentiation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Date
2014-11
Authors
Mohtaram, Nima Khadem
Ko, Junghyuk
Montgomery, Amy
Carlson, Michael
Sun, Lin
Wong, Alix
Robinson, Meghan
Jun, Martin Byung-Guk
Willerth, Stephanie
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
Abstract
Nanofabrication techniques can produce biomaterial scaffolds that mimic the microenvironment present in healthy tissue. In this study, we used solution electrospinning to produce nanofiber-based biomaterial scaffolds that present chemical and physical cues similar to those found in the extracellular matrix of neural tissue. These electrospun biomaterial scaffolds fabricated out of poly(γ-caprolactone) (PCL) had different topographies consisting of randomly-oriented fibers and aligned fibers that contained different concentrations of retinoic acid (RA), a small molecule that regulates neural development. These scaffolds released RA in a controlled fashion for a month in the absence of cells. They also supported the differentiation of neural progenitors derived from mouse induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into neurons. Overall, this novel combination of multifunctional scaffolds and iPSC-derived neural progenitors serves as a promising strategy for neural tissue engineering applications.
Description
Keywords
Controlled Release, Electrospinning, Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Nanofibers, Neural Tissue Engineering, Spinal Cord Injury
Citation
Mohtaram, N.K., Ko, J., Montgomery, A., Carlson, M., Sun, L., Wong, A., … Willerth, S.M. (2014). Multifunctional electrospun scaffolds for promoting neuronal differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells. Journal of Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, 4(11), 906-914.