Designer Scaffolds for Interfacial Bioengineering

In regenerative medicine, the healing of the interfacial zone between tissues is a major challenge, yet approaches for studying the complex microenvironment of this interface remain lacking. Herein, these complex living interfaces by manufacturing modular "blocks" of naturally porous decellularized plant-derived scaffolds with a computer numerical controlled mill are studied. How each scaffold can be seeded with different cell types and easily assembled in a manner akin to LEGO bricks to create an engineered tissue interface (ETI) is demonstrated. Cells migrate across the interface formed between an empty scaffold and a scaffold preseeded with cells. However, when both scaffolds contain cells, only a shallow cross-over zone of cell infiltration forms at the interface. As a proof-of-concept study, ETIs to investigate the interaction between lab grown bone and connective tissues are used. Consistent with the above, a cross-over zone of the two distinct cell types forms at the interface between scaffolds, otherwise the populations remain distinct. Finally, how ETIs are biocompatible in vivo are demonstrated, becoming vascularized and integrated into surrounding tissue after implantation. Herein, new tissue design avenues for understanding biological processes or the development of synthetic artificial tissues are created.