This paper proposes a biologically inspired ‘molecular assembly line’ — an externally programmable polymeric chain along which molecules are shuttled between chain sites along an arbitrary pathway. Our hope is to construct a scaffold that mimics biological enzymes known as polyketide synthases in their ability to physically hand-off molecules between assembly sites or domains, thereby making al...

Several widely used techniques for the fabrication of three dimensional (3D) scaffolds utilize the particulate leaching method to achieve a porous structure. This method involves the selective leaching of a mineral or an organic compound to generate pores. However, scaffolds prepared by this technique tend to exhibit limited interconnectivity. Therefore, to enhance the interconnectivity of the ...

A freestanding H2-evolution electrode consisting of a copolymer-embedded cobaloxime integrated into a multiwall carbon nanotube matrix by π-π interactions is reported. This electrode is straightforward to assemble and displays high activity towards hydrogen evolution in near-neutral pH solution under inert and aerobic conditions, with a cobalt-based turnover number (TON(Co)) of up to 420. An an...

The ability to create thick tissues is a major tissue engineering challenge, requiring the development of a suitable vascular supply. Current trends are seeing the utilization of cells seeded into hybrid matrix/scaffold systems to create in vitro vascular analogues. Approaches that aim to create vasculature in vitro include the use of biological extracellular matrices such as collagen hydrogels...

A new approach has been developed to fabricate tough hybrid hydrogels by employing dual enzyme-mediated redox initiation to achieve post-self-assembly cross-linking polymerization. The resulting hydrogel combines the merits of supramolecular hydrogels with polymeric hydrogels to achieve higher mechanical strength and porous networks. Designed 3D constructs were fabricated via in situ 3D printin...

A challenge in regenerating large bone defects under load is to create scaffolds with large and interconnected pores while providing a compressive strength comparable to cortical bone (100-150 MPa). Here we design a novel hexagonal architecture for a glass-ceramic scaffold to fabricate an anisotropic, highly porous three dimensional scaffolds with a compressive strength of 110 MPa. Scaffolds wi...

Novel scaffolds composed of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) skeleton covered with bonelike apatite or apatite/collagen composite were produced via a combined phase-separation technique and an accelerated biomimetic coating process. Saos-2 osteoblast-like cells were used to evaluate the cellular behaviors on these biomimetic coatings. Cell morphologies on the surfaces of PLLA scaffolds, PLLA scaffold...

An interesting application of multi-agent systems (MAS) is in modeling systems that can be represented by independent entities interacting together, the so-called agent-based modeling (ABM). In this paper MAS paradigm is used as a promising technique for representing complex biomedical systems. A brief survey of some ABM of biomedical systems is presented, followed by the description of a multi...

Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive anaerobic, spore-forming bacillus that is the leading cause of nosocomial diarrhoea worldwide. We demonstrate that C. difficile aggregates and forms biofilms in vitro on abiotic surfaces. These polymicrobial aggregates are attached to each other and to an abiotic surface by an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). The EPS matrix provides the scaffold ...

Myocardial infarction results in extensive cardiomyocyte death which can lead to fatal arrhythmias or congestive heart failure. Delivery of stem cells to repopulate damaged cardiac tissue may be an attractive and innovative solution for repairing the damaged heart. Instructive polymer scaffolds with a wide range of properties have been used extensively to direct the differentiation of stem cell...