There are currently two ongoing bioreactor-related research programs in our laboratory funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). A multidisciplinary approach is taken to design, fabricate and optimize three-dimensional (3-D) biodegradable poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLAGA) based scaffold in a dynamic flow environment in NASA rotating bioreactors for bone tissue engineering.  Specifically, we exposed the 3-D scaffold to fluid and nutrient flux via placement in a dynamic flow environment in NASA rotating bioreactors and seek to gain a more fundamental understanding of the manner in which cells interact with these degradable polymeric scaffolds in a dynamic flow environment in NASA rotating bioreactors.

We also seek to develop a novel 3-D biodegradable polyphosphazene based scaffold in a dynamic flow environment in NASA rotating bioreactors suitable for bone tissue engineering.  We will design, fabricate, characterize, and optimize 3-D polyphosphazene scaffolds for bone tissue engineering under a dynamic flow environment in NASA rotating bioreactors.

Our interdisciplinary projects address fundamental issues facing bone remodeling and formation, particularly regarding the effects of an in vitro dynamic flow environment in bioreactors on bone cell biology and bone formation in vivo.  Results from these studies will serve as the foundation for future work aimed at exploring the effect of dynamic flow environment on bone healing and remodeling, and for optimizing bioreactor tissue engineering of bone.