Microstereolithography of Tissue Scaffolds Using a Biodegradable Photocurable Polyester

Due to its ability to create complex cellular geometries with extremely fine resolution, mask projection microstereolithography (MPμSL) can be useful for fabricating designed tissue scaffolds and other biological constructs for use in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. However, few photocurable materials with low cytotoxicity, adequate cell adhesion, and degradability can be processed with MPμSL. In this work, we present the fabrication of biocompatible and biodegradable tissue scaffolds with 50 μm feature sizes from a novel polyester using MPμSL. Poly(tri(ethylene glycol)adipate) dimethacrylate (PTEGA-DMA) was synthesized and evaluated for its printability. The curing parameters for printing were identified and scaffolds were fabricated. Optical and electron microscopy were used to determine the achievable feature sizes and accuracy of printed parts using the polymer in the MPμSL system. MC3T3-E1 mouse preosteoblasts were seeded on PTEGA-DMA films to assess adhesion and biocompatibility.Mechanical Engineerin