Tissue Engineering of Muscle
Tissue engineering is based on the concept that tissue
specific cells can be grown with biomaterials to form a “tissue equivalent”,
which can then be used to repair or replace damaged tissues or organs.
Research in the field of tissue engineering is highly interdisciplinary,
requiring expertise in medicine, engineering, and the life sciences.
Much progress has already been made in both skin and bone research,
while investigation into applications such as blood vessels, liver, and
muscle have only begun.
Heart disease incurred by myocardial infarction and
some forms of muscular dystrophy can result in irreversible muscle damage.
The shortage of organ donors make heart transplantation impractical
for most patients. There
are currently three separate approaches to tissue engineering cardiac
muscle: 1) Injection of cell
suspensions directly into the muscle tissue, 2) Implantation of three-dimensional
polymer scaffolds previously cultured with cells, and 3) Culturing of
cells in suspension with or without a supporting matrix.
Efforts at mitigating muscle damage through direct injection of
myogenic cells into injured muscle tissue have shown little success, due
to high levels of injected cell death.
Our approach has focused on using a biodegradable polymer fiber scaffold for the growth and differentiation of muscle cells three dimensionally in culture. This scaffold can also serve as a vehicle for implantation, providing the cells with support and organization. Both poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) and poly-glycolic acid (PGA) fiber scaffolds have proven able to support the growth of either skeletal or cardiac muscle cells. Our lab is now looking at improving the polymer fiber scaffold environment to direct the differentiation and organization of myoblasts three dimensionally.
References:
1.
Thurmond,
Frederick A., Elizabeth M. Cronin, and R. Sanders Williams.
A Deadly Game of Musical Chairs:
Survival of Cells Transplanted for Myocardial Repair.
Journal of Molecular & Cellular Cardiology.
33:883-885, 2001. (Editorial)
2. Cronin, E., F. Thurmond, R. Bassel-Duby, and R.S. Williams. Cardiomyocytes Grow and Establish a Differentiated State on Poly-Glycolic Acid Fibers. Biomedical Engineering Society 2001 Annual Fall Meeting, Poster Session, October 2001. (Poster)
