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August 16, 2006
Scaffolds for Cells
Cells from Harriet and Lynz had been cryogenically frozen while we were waiting for the scaffolds. As their cell cultures became more populous, each was divided into two flasks. When thoses cultures were ready, each was split again. This is called a passage, it is a method used to culture a large amount of cells. But if too many passages are attempted, the cells become less viable. So they were frozen at a healthy stage.
Now we have our scaffolds, so we can resuscitate the cells, and apply them to the scaffolds. The images below show a block of the scaffold material, and one of the ring forms we are using. This is a material called "HA/TCP", which is a combination of hydroxyapatite (HA) and, er something else. The TCP part breaks down more rapidly than the HA, which holds it's shape for longer, allowing the cells to proliferate, then mineralise – the point where they harden. we are also using a pure HA version. More about the properties of these materials here
Thanks to Dr John Merry at Sheffield based Dytech for all his help in preparing these scaffolds.
Posted by tobie at August 16, 2006 10:25 AM