Injection molding of living tissues
AssigneeUniversity of Massachusetts
InventorsLawrence J. Bonassar, Jon A. Rowley, David J. Mooney
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Abstract
The invention features methods of making living tissue constructs having a predetermined shape by providing a negative mold having a defined shape; suspending isolated tissue precursor cells in a hydrogel to form a liquid hydrogel-precursor cell composition; introducing the liquid hydrogel-precursor cell composition into the mold; inducing gel formation to solidify the liquid hydrogel-precursor cell composition to form a living tissue construct; and removing the living tissue construct from the mold after gel formation.
Claims20
A method of making a living tissue construct having a predetermined shape, the method comprising
- providing a negative mold having a defined shape;
- suspending isolated tissue precursor cells in a hydrogel to form a liquid hydrogel-precursor cell composition;
- introducing the liquid hydrogel-precursor cell composition into the mold;
- inducing gel formation to solidify the liquid hydrogel-precursor cell composition to form a living tissue construct;
- and
- removing the living tissue construct from the mold after gel formation.
A method of reconstructing an anatomical feature in a mammal, the method comprising
- providing a suitable negative mold having a negative shape of the anatomical feature;
- suspending isolated tissue precursor cells in a hydrogel to form a liquid hydrogel-precursor cell composition, introducing the liquid hydrogel-precursor cell composition into the mold;
- inducing gel formation to solidify the liquid hydrogel-precursor cell composition to form a living tissue construct;
- removing the tissue construct from the mold after gel formation;
- and
- implanting the tissue construct into the mammal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.