Original Article Behaviour of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neural Progenitors on Collagen Scaffolds Varied in Freezing Temperature and Laminin Concentration

Objective: Biomaterial technology, when combined with emerging human induced pluri-potent stem cell (hiPSC) technology, provides a promising strategy for patient-specific tissue engineering. In this study, we have evaluated the physical effects of collagen scaf-folds fabricated at various freezing temperatures on the behavior of hiPSC-derived neural progenitors (hiPSC-NPs). In addition, the coating of scaffolds using different concentra-tions of laminin was examined on the cells. Materials and Methods: Initially, in this experimental study, the collagen scaffolds fabricated from different collagen concentrations and freezing temperatures were characterized by determining the pore size, porosity, swelling ratio, and mechani-cal properties. Effects of cross-linking on free amine groups, volume shrinkage and mass retention was also assessed. Then, hiPSC-NPs were seeded onto the most stable three-dimensional collagen scaffolds and we evaluated the effect of pore structure. Additionally, the different concentrations of laminin coating of the scaffolds on hiPSC-NPs behavior were assessed