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J. Stampfl, C. Heller, M. Schwentenwein, G. Russmüller, F. Varga, R. Liska:
"Biophotopolymers for stereolithography and two-photon lithography";
Keynote Lecture: World conference on regenerative medicine, Leipzig (invited); 10-29-2009 - 10-31-2009; in: "Regenerative Medicine", F. Emmrich (ed.); Future Medicine, 4 (6) (2009), ISSN: 1746-0751; S58 - S59.

The fabrication of geometrically well defined 3-dimensional scaffolds offering good biofunctional (biocompatibility, degradability, cell adhesion, ..) properties is still a largely unsolved issue in regenerative medicine. One approach to manufacture such 3D-scaffolds is based on additive manufacturing technologies (AMT). For this work, lithographic AMT were evaluated regarding their suitability for fabricating cellular scaffolds. The focus of the investigations lies on dynamic-mask processes, laser micro-stereolithography and two-photon-lithography. These methods allow the fabrication of parts with minimum feature resolutions down to 200nm and minimum wall thicknesses down to 1μm,. AMT is therefore suitable for the fabrication of cellular structures in a number of applications in biomedical engineering.

In order to find suitable materials the biocompatibility, determined by cell adhesion and cell proliferation of osteoblast-like cells, the photo reactivity, mechanical properties and cytotoxicity of several commercially available acrylate based monomers and polymers have been tested. Despite the high rate of polymerization and the easy accessibility of a large number of monomers, the main drawback of these acrylate containing resins is the high cytotoxicity of residual unreacted acrylate groups. Therefore a completely new class of photoreactive monomers based on vinyl ester, vinyl carbonates and vinyl carbamates were synthesized. These materials turned out to show lower cytotoxicity by a factor of 100 compared to similar acrylates The biocompatibility and mechanical properties of the vinyl ester polymers were evaluated, indicating the suitability of this new class of bio-photopolymers for a number of applications in tissue engineering. Further tests regarding biodegradeability of these polymers were performed.

http://publik.tuwien.ac.at/files/PubDat_179385.pdf

Project Head Jürgen Stampfl:
3D-Fabrikation zellselektiver Gerüststrukturen