Customizable Composite Fibers for Engineering Skeletal Muscle Models

Published online: 14 November 2019
Engineering tissue-like scaffolds that can mimic the microstructure, architecture, topology, and mechanical properties of native tissues while offering an excellent environment for cellular growth has remained an unmet need. To address these challenges, multicompartment composite fibers are fabricated. These fibers can be assembled through textile processes to tailor tissue-level mechanical and electrical properties independent of cellular level components. Textile technologies also allow control of the distribution of different cell types and the microstructure of fabricated constructs and the direction of cellular growth within the 3D microenvironment. Here, we engineered composite fibers from biocompatible cores and biologically relevant hydrogel sheaths. The fibers are mechanically robust to being assembled using textile processes and could support adhesion, proliferation, and maturation of cell populations important for the engineering of skeletal muscles. We also demonstrated that the changes in the coating of the multicompartment fibers could potentially enhance myogenesis in vitro.
S.R.S. was partially supported by the National Institutes of Health (R21EB026824) and the Brigham Research Institute Stepping Strong Innovator Award. C.R. would like to thank the funding from the National Centre for Research and Develop ment (STRATEGMED1/233224/10/NCBR/2014, project START). This work was partially supported by the National Institutes of Health (AR066193, AR066193, EB022403, AR057837, HL137193, GM126831, AR073822). M.A. would like to thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). H.A. thanks the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK). Additionally, I.K.Y. acknowledges financial support from the NIH through the Organ Design and Engineering Training program (T32 EB16652); R.C.-A. thanks the Portuguese funds through FCT−Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia in the framework of FCT-POPH-FSE, the Ph.D. grant SFRH/BD/96593/2013.