| Design of a Flow Perfusion Chamber for the Reconstruction of Urinary Bladder | ||
| Jose F. Alvarez-Barreto, Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of Oklahoma, 100 E. Boyd St. Rm T-335, Norman, OK 73019, Y. Zhang, Department of Urology, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, 825 N.E. 10th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104-5417, Bradley P. Kropp, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Department of Urology, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104 and Vassilios I. Sikavitsas, The University of Oklahoma, School of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering, 100 East Boyd, Room T335, Norman, OK 73019 Different pathological conditions, both congenital and acquired, affect the function of the urinary bladder and can result in incontinence and damage of the kidney, among other clinical complications. Thus, the reconstruction of the urinary bladder has been of great importance in the field of tissue engineering. Different synthetic and natural matrices, such as the small intestinal submucosa (SIS), have been utilized as biomaterials for this purpose. Decellularized SIS has demonstrated great potential in the functional reconstruction of the urinary bladder. Nevertheless, the seeding of these matrices with different cell types represents a great challenge in terms of achieving an efficient homogeneity. We have designed a flow perfusion bioreactor that can yield homogeneous distributions of cells throughout the SIS surface, as well as guaranteeing optimal transport of nutrients and alignment of the cells in the direction of the flow. Extended Abstract Status: Not Uploaded | ||