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Design and Prototype Manufacture of a Clamping Fixture for 3D Tissue Engineered Skin
This project is part of the Flagship Project “Skintegrity”, with a collaboration between ETHZ and USZ. The student, who ideally has a biomedical engineering background (or similar), will design a clamping fixture for 3D tissue engineered skin and will manufacture the first prototype(s).
Although skin tissue engineered is already in clinical use for many years and has developed greatly during this time, currently used products still have major limitations, such as high costs. Most of the current tissue engineered models are based on hydrogels made of collagen and these entail specific disadvantages: low stiffness, strong contraction, batch-to batch variability and a risk for immune reactions. More recently, synthetic nanofibrous scaffolds have become apparent alternatives for 3D skin tissue engineering. Electrospun scaffolds made of Polycaprolactone (PCL) are suitable candidates as they are bioresorbable and nontoxic, with tunable physical and mechanical properties and similarities to the structure of native collagen fibers. These kind of scaffolds show less contraction, but can be difficult to manipulate during cell seeding and culture due to their low thickness and fragility, especially as a double-layer approach is being used.
Although skin tissue engineered is already in clinical use for many years and has developed greatly during this time, currently used products still have major limitations, such as high costs. Most of the current tissue engineered models are based on hydrogels made of collagen and these entail specific disadvantages: low stiffness, strong contraction, batch-to batch variability and a risk for immune reactions. More recently, synthetic nanofibrous scaffolds have become apparent alternatives for 3D skin tissue engineering. Electrospun scaffolds made of Polycaprolactone (PCL) are suitable candidates as they are bioresorbable and nontoxic, with tunable physical and mechanical properties and similarities to the structure of native collagen fibers. These kind of scaffolds show less contraction, but can be difficult to manipulate during cell seeding and culture due to their low thickness and fragility, especially as a double-layer approach is being used.
The goal of this project is to design a clamping fixture for these PCL-based tissue engineering 3D skin constructs that will facilitate their culture. Strong interaction with the researchers on the project (PD Dr. Astrid Jüngel, Prof. Dr. Karin Wuertz-Kozak) will take place initially to understand the design criteria, such as ease of handling and material choice, and later to discuss the different, developed design concepts. From the most promising design(s), prototypes will be manufactured (method to be determined) and tested in the laboratory.
Tasks: 10% Literature Review, 60% Design Work, 10% Manufacture, 10% Documentation
The goal of this project is to design a clamping fixture for these PCL-based tissue engineering 3D skin constructs that will facilitate their culture. Strong interaction with the researchers on the project (PD Dr. Astrid Jüngel, Prof. Dr. Karin Wuertz-Kozak) will take place initially to understand the design criteria, such as ease of handling and material choice, and later to discuss the different, developed design concepts. From the most promising design(s), prototypes will be manufactured (method to be determined) and tested in the laboratory. Tasks: 10% Literature Review, 60% Design Work, 10% Manufacture, 10% Documentation
Karin Wuertz-Kozak, kwuertz@ethz.ch / Institute for Biomechanics, HPP-O12, ETH Zürich / Professorship Wuertz-Kozak
Karin Wuertz-Kozak, kwuertz@ethz.ch / Institute for Biomechanics, HPP-O12, ETH Zürich / Professorship Wuertz-Kozak