Composite Polymeric Scaffolds with Controlled Pore Opening and Drug Delivery for Tissue Engineering Applications

Composite scaffolds fabricated from biodegradable polymers as drug carriers are used extensively in the field of tissue engineering. Ideal tissue engineering scaffolds must possess a 3D interconnected porous network for tissue ingrowth and construct vascularization. However, the porous interconnected network may reduce the initial mechanical support needed for the scaffold in the implant site. In this study, composite scaffolds consisted of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) ≤ 250 μ MS and Simvastatin loaded poly beta amino acid (PBAE) Hydrogel Microspheres (HG MS) ≤ ~500 μ were fabricated via a novel device to investigate several new functions: controlled drug release, PBAE HG MS time-dependent degradation exhibiting pore opening resulting in interconnected pattern of porosity development, better initial mechanical support and the true wet-state compressive moduli.