Development and characterization of gelatine/ poly (glycerol sebacate)/ conductive polymer electrospun fiber mats for cardiac tissue engineering

 

Investigator: Lisa Hoffmann (Bachelor student) 

Lisa Hoffmann

 

Supervisors: Lena Vogt, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini


Myocardial infarctions and other injuries of the myocardial tissue can lead to serious consequences to the functionality of the heart due to the restricted regeneration ability of cardiomyocytes. Cardiac tissue engineering tackles this problem with the help of different approaches such as the cardiac patch strategy [1]. In this study, cardiac patches from novel combinations of gelatine, poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS), and conductive polymer will be fabricated by electrospinning. PGS-based fibrous layers have already shown promising results for  cardiac tissue engineering [2]. Introduction of electrical conductivity to the fibre mats is considered a progress in the design of the cardiac patch for supporting impulse conduction of the myocardial tissue. Subsequently, the fibre mats will be evaluated regarding their morphology, their chemical, mechanical and electrical properties. Finally, a degradation study will be carried out to assess the hydrolytically stability of the fibre mats.

[1] R. Rai, et al., Biomimetic poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) membranes for cardiac patch application, Mater. Sci. Eng. C 33 (2013) 3677-87. 

[2] R. Rai, et al., Bioactive electrospun fibers of poly (glycerol sebacate) and poly(ε‐caprolactone) for cardiac patch application, Adv. Health. Mater. 4 (2015) 2012-2025.