Collagen based scaffold for biomedical application

Next generation of biomaterials with enhanced functionalities requires the integration of material science and molecular biology, in order to identify bio-inspired designing concepts. New families of collagen based 3D scaffolds with biomimetic chemical-physical properties were obtained thanks to complex fabrication techniques able to generate specific geometries and pore structures in compli- ance with the specific regenerating tissue. Collagen is a significant constituent of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) thus collagenous scaffolds have been used exten- sively in a variety of tissue engineering applications for their useful properties: hemostatic, low antigenicity, appropriate mechanical stiffness, promotion of cell and tissue attachment and growth. The remarkable biofunctional properties of tissues such as ten- dons/ligaments, depend on their hierarchic structures which is an organized assembly of structural units at increasing size levels. Ten- don substitutes were prepared thanks to a special casting technique able to produce hole cylinders with controlled pores direction and dimensions. A pH-controlled fibration process using reinforcing natural nano-fibers was applied to obtain an artificial collagenous supramolecular assembly and appropriate mechanical properties. The process requires: i) the optimization of homogeneous and stable slurries and ii) the selection of effective operative parame- ters. Reticulation techniques were also employed to modifying the collagen surfaces and to achieve good resistance to physiological environment. Regenerative medicine has been also shown to be a potential alternative to cardiac transplantation for patients with severe heart failure. In this view a modified tape-casting technique was used to obtain thin preformed collagenous scaffolds/membranes to be tested as a potential vector for the transplantation of cardiomy- ocytes. Indeed the efficacy of the scaffolds endowed with contracting cardiac cell sheets was evaluated after application onto the injured area of rat infarcted myocardium in order to improve cardiac func- tion.