Novel Measurement Method for the Permeability of Tissue Models

Summary


	Quick description:		Novel method for measuring the hydraulic permeability of collagen gels/hydrated scaffolds
	Posted by:		McGill University
	Published:		22 July 2009
	File number:		09080
	Patent:		Pending
	Project Type:		Out-Licensing Opportunity
	Primary sector:		Health and Life Sciences
	Seeking / Offering:		Collaboration or Partnership, Non-Exclusive Licensing, Exclusive Licensing
	Areas of interest:		biotechnology

Background

Collagen gels are currently stimulating much interest as scaffolds for tissue engineering applications for augmenting, replacing and repairing damaged or diseased tissues. This is due to collagen’s excellent biological properties which mimic the natural environment of cells (extracellular matrix). Since collagen gels are made of a loose lattice network of physically entangled nano-sized fibrils surrounded by a high-volume of fluid (>99%), hydraulic permeability plays a significant role in dictating their physical, mechanical and biological behaviour. However, this parameter has previously been difficult to measure as collagen gels are unstable and undergo self-compression in a unconfined space. To an extent, this has limited the extent of the commercial application of these gels in the field of tissue engineering.

Description

This invention provides a novel method for measuring the hydraulic permeability of collagen gels and is also relevant to other highly hydrated hydrogels capable of undergoing self compression or gravity driven consolidation processes. Therefore, by means of this invention, the behaviour of such gels can be more accurately understood and predicted in order to engineer scaffolds and tissue models for specific applications. The novelty lies in measuring the hydraulic permeability through the mass loss associated with the self compression process in hydrated gels.

The inventors have found that the mass loss of gels undergoing self compression (gravity driven consolidation) can be related to the hydraulic permeability (k) of the gels through a modification of Darcy’s Law.

Advantages

· Measure accurate hydraulic permeability of potential tissue scaffolds in real time.

· Limit the currently used “trial and error” approach to tissue engineering by providing a faster and cheaper route to the engineering of tissue scaffolds.

· Bedside, custom-made, applications are more easily achieved.

Potential Applications

Engineering of tissue models, sacrificial tissues, drug delivery systems, tumour models, cell delivery devices from hydrated gels. These can be used to replace, treat or augment diseased or damaged tissues or as in vitro models for predicting cell and mechanical behaviour.