Development of fabrication technique of fibre-aligned collagenous tissue using mechanical loading

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K21887
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 90:Biomedical engineering and related fields
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Eijiro Maeda 名古屋大学, 工学研究科, 准教授 (20581614)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 松本 健郎 名古屋大学, 工学研究科, 教授 (30209639)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-07-30 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: コラーゲン / 腱 / 靭帯 / 血管 / 人工組織 / 力学負荷

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aimed to establish a new method to fabricate artificial soft tissues with protein fibres aligned to designated directions which is achieved during a relatively short period of time. The method developed is based on how biological tissues form unique fibre structures optimsed to support mechanical loading imposed on them. We fabricated collagen gels from acidic solution and applied uniaxial mechanical loading and chemical cross-linkers simultaneously. This resulted in the gel with strength of approximately 5 MPa, which was 250 times as high as that of gels without mechanical loading and the cross-linker. Microscopic observation confirmed the fibre structure aligned to the loading direction. Moreover, tendon cells, isolated from rat Achilles tendons, remained viable following a 2-week culture on the surface of the gels, proving the cytocompatibility of the fabricated tissues.

Free Research Field

バイオメカニクス

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果は，臨床で求められている生体組織に近い材料，力学特性の人工組織作製に近づく結果である．生体が自然と最適な形態形成を行う過程に着目したことから発生生物学的な見地からも興味深い結果と言える．また社会的にも臨床における医療ニーズを満たす可能性を秘めた技術を開発できたと言える．