In response to poor mechanical stability and long growth time of tissue-engineered skin substitutes, we present a novel skin-stretching device that mechanically stimulates engineered grafts during in vitro culture to accelerate growth. Mechanical loading increases epidermal proliferation, expression of growth factors, and mechanical stability. Our device loads engineered skin grafts at a customizable, cyclic waveform to ultimately lead to mechanically stable engineered skin grafts. ANSYS modeling approximated the maximum force to be applied at 0.2N. The device was fabricated and tested on porcine and chicken skin. After initial testing it was apparent the device could apply multiaxially load samples during culture. In addition, testing cycles can be varied to suit the user’s needs.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Yatim, Hussein Tarek
• Keenan, Daniel
• Hutchinson, Katie Lucille
• Piccione, Laura Nicole

Contributors

• Lalikos, Janice
• Ignotz, Ronald
• Dunn, Raymond
• Chin, Michael

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-042513-135858

Advisor

• Pins, George D
• Sullivan, John M.

Year

• 2013

Sponsor

• University of Massachusetts Medical School

Date created

• 2013-04-25

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Biomedical Engineering
• Interdisciplinary

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2021-02-01