Developing a novel biomimetic bioreactor for bone graft engineering with murine embryonic stem cells

Abstract

Following blood, bone graft transplantation is the second most common tissue transplant. Although tissue engineering holds great potential to fulfill demands for better treatment outcomes, it remains technologically challenging to produce bone grafts with normal physiological properties. During skeletal development, endochondral ossification initiates long bone formation and fracture healing. In this study, I aimed to build an in-vitro biomimetic bioreactor to recapitulate physiological niches and processes essential for endochondral ossification to grow bone tissues with anatomical and mechanical properties similar to the native tissues. Here, I have built a prototype capable of generating a dynamic cultivation environment and producing an ivory-toned construct with a stiff texture. The engineered construct greatly resembles a hyaline cartilage model undergoing initial stages of endochondral ossification during skeletal development. In the future, a possible engineered vasculature system may be integrated into the existing bioreactor design to enhance further maturation of constructs to form compact bone.