Architectural control of ice-templated collagen scaffolds for cardiac regeneration
type: CreativeWork
description: A range of biomaterials and fabrication methods have been explored to produce biomimetic scaffolds to facilitate cardiac tissue regeneration. Ice-templated collagen scaffolds have demonstrated translational success in other clinical applications. The ice templating technique utilizes phase separation dynamics during solidification and subsequent sublimation of ice to produce scaffolds with interconnected porosity. Although composition has been found to be key to determining cellular response, both nano-scale and micro-scale surface features of ice templated collagen scaffolds have also been found to encourage cellular ingrowth and attachment. Previous research has introduced techniques to control pore size and anisotropy. To date, however, ice-templating has not been shown to allow control of architecture to the extent that it is possible to replicate the structure of more complex tissue morphologies such as the myocardium. In this thesis, the underpinning physics of ice formation is leveraged to determine the final architecture of ice-templated collagen scaffolds. A controllable directional freezing apparatus was designed and built to enable fine control of the thermal environment during solidification. A relationship between the set thermal parameters and final pore architecture was established. This relationship enabled the production of structures with controlled pore alignment and size. The direct control and monitoring capabilities of the freezing apparatus enabled observations of intrinsic freezing kinetics. This insight allowed the solidification processes of anisotropic and isotropic ice-templating to be compared, and a link between the previously distinct fields was hypothesized. A novel thermal control technique was developed that dictated ice growth directions and achieved complex lamellar orientation of ice-templated collagen scaffolds. A new mould design was produced, with a heat-sink at the base and heat sources in the mould walls, which afforded thre…
abstract: A range of biomaterials and fabrication methods have been explored to produce biomimetic scaffolds to facilitate cardiac tissue regeneration. Ice-templated collagen scaffolds have demonstrated translational success in other clinical applications. The ice templating technique utilizes phase separation dynamics during solidification and subsequent sublimation of ice to produce scaffolds with interconnected porosity. Although composition has been found to be key to determining cellular response, both nano-scale and micro-scale surface features of ice templated collagen scaffolds have also been found to encourage cellular ingrowth and attachment. Previous research has introduced techniques to control pore size and anisotropy. To date, however, ice-templating has not been shown to allow control of architecture to the extent that it is possible to replicate the structure of more complex tissue morphologies such as the myocardium. In this thesis, the underpinning physics of ice formation is leveraged to determine the final architecture of ice-templated collagen scaffolds. A controllable directional freezing apparatus was designed and built to enable fine control of the thermal environment during solidification. A relationship between the set thermal parameters and final pore architecture was established. This relationship enabled the production of structures with controlled pore alignment and size. The direct control and monitoring capabilities of the freezing apparatus enabled observations of intrinsic freezing kinetics. This insight allowed the solidification processes of anisotropic and isotropic ice-templating to be compared, and a link between the previously distinct fields was hypothesized. A novel thermal control technique was developed that dictated ice growth directions and achieved complex lamellar orientation of ice-templated collagen scaffolds. A new mould design was produced, with a heat-sink at the base and heat sources in the mould walls, which afforded thre…
author: Cyr, Jamie
language: eng
keywords: Cardiac tissue engineering, Ice templating, freeze casting, regenerative scaffold, tissue engineering
license: https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/198b679b-610c-4c67-9f35-c5cf4d7242a7/download
license: https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/
date published: 2021-07-22
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:31Z
provider: Cambridge University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Cambridge

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.17863/CAM.69981