Columbia Technology Ventures

Hydrogel-encapsulated microbubbles for improved tissue engineering

This technology is an in vitro platform for supporting and modifying the physical properties of hydrogel scaffolds for tissue engineering applications.

Unmet Need: Microporous scaffolds with ideal nutrient distribution for tissue engineering

Tissue engineering strategies hold promise for improved treatment options for patients suffering from osteoarthritis. However, the successful in vitro development of anatomically-sized tissue grafts has been largely impeded by the inability to provide adequate nutrient exchange to cells embedded within 3D tissue engineering scaffolds. There is a need for a scaffold design that allows for uniform nutrient distribution to the engineered tissue, while maintaining adequate pore size and structure to ensure physical stability.

The Technology: Biocompatible scaffolds with enhanced nutrient and mechanical support for improved tissue engineering

This technology employs gas-filled microbubbles to enable synthesis of hydrogel scaffolds with uniform micropores that can facilitate efficient nutrient diffusion for improved cell response and more robust tissue formation. Gas-filled microbubbles are mixed with a molten agarose solution to form hydrogel scaffolds with uniformly distributed sub-cellular sized micropores. Additionally, microbubble size and concentration can be controlled to modulate nutrient diffusivity and scaffold physical properties.

This technology has been used to generate porous scaffolds that support a two-fold increase in mechanical properties of engineered cartilage tissue compared to traditional bubble-free hydrogels.

Applications:

  • Scaffolds for cartilage and other tissue engineering (e.g. bone, muscle, skin)
  • Growth factor carriers
  • Drug and gene delivery vehicles
  • Delivery system for ultrasound contrast agent

Advantages:

  • Improves effective diffusivity of nutrients
  • Size and concentration of microbubbles can be controlled
  • Allows for uniform distribution of microbubbles and resulting pores
  • Can be incorporated into standard protocols for hydrogel scaffold fabrication
  • Biocompatible

Lead Inventor:

Clark Hung, Ph.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Status

Related Publications:

Tech Ventures Reference: