3d Printing Scaffolds for Breast Tissue Engineering Applications
Thesis
Recently, the field of Tissue Engineering has explored the potential for the regeneration of many organs and tissues in the human body. The aim of this study applied to breast tissue engineering is to overcome the major criticalities practiced with conventional therapies (mastectomy, breast conserving therapy, and lipofilling). This Thesis is focused on the fabrication of biodegradable 3D implantable Scaffolds cultured with the breast cells for regeneration of damaged tissues. Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) is the polymer used for this study. In this work, the degradation of the 3D PLA Scaffolds immersed in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF). The mechanical properties of the scaffolds are also measured and after culturing with mammary breast cells. From the study, it was observed that the PLA scaffolds degrade over time, as the number of weeks of exposure increase. The mechanical properties before and after culturing with the breast cells showed a significant increase in their tensile strength and Young’s modulus. However, the tensile strength and elastic modulus after culturing was 3.42 and 6.10 MPa for day 0 and 7 and 234.67 and 337.33 MPa for day 0 and 7, respectively.