A fun activity to teach the concept of tissue engineering to students and even kids! This was developed by the Binghamton BMES student chapter and also used as a case study submission for the Biomaterials class by the developers of this idea. It will showcase at the Binghamton University 2016 Engineers Week for young students in the local community.

1. Developing a Tissue
Engineering
Scaffold
Stephen Fischer
Gabriella Shull
BME 313

2. The Challenge
• Objective: Create a scaffold that can house the most amount of cells
• Stipulation: Must withstand 3D rotational and translational motion
• Description: Students are given an overview on tissue engineering and
the project. Students split into small groups and are provided materials.
• Target Audience Age: Any age group
• Background may be explained at more rudimentary level for younger students
• Duration of Project: ~30 min. for building and 15 - 30 min. for discussion

3. Project Protocol
● Protocol can be customized
according to audience or
resources.
● Total Duration
○ 37 - 70 minutes
● A short survey before and after
may help gauge success of
event.

4. Materials
Total: $33.66
*Note: These numbers accommodate many students. Materials are reusable as well.
Item Price Quantity Supplier
Popsicle Sticks $3.66 100/pack Walmart/ CVS
Pipe Cleaners $10.99 120/pack Walmart/ CVS
Straws $8.98 100/pack Walmart/ CVS
Glue $2.04 1 item Walmart/ CVS
Tape $3.50 1 roll Walmart/ CVS
Colored Cotton Balls $4.49 200/pack Walmart/ CVS

5. Some Examples
Skin Scaffold Biodegradable ScaffoldFlexible Scaffold

6. Competition (Optional)
- Great way to foster creativity and collaboration as teams
- Two methods to accomplish this
1) Race to Build
a) Build a scaffold within a timeframe that supports a designated number of cells
b) Contestants will go to judges for counting when they think they have achieved this
2) Design for Quantity
a) Build a scaffold for a particular organ in a period of time that houses the most cells
b) The one with the most cells is the winner

7. Example: An
Introduction to
Tissue
Engineering

8. Tissue Engineering Introduction
• Tissue Engineering is the creation
of tissue to restore, replace, and
maintain the function(s) of the
body.
• Applications include replacing
organs or pieces of organs that are
damaged by disease, or injury.
• Can help save millions of livesSource: https://goo.gl/ASevvy

9. Tissue Engineering Components
1. Cells
a. basic unit of life
b. require nutrients to stay alive
2. Scaffold (Extracellular Matrix)
a. surrounds cells and helps them survive
b. similar to buildings and sidewalks
3. Chemical Signals
a. tells cells and scaffolds what to do
b. similar to traffic lights, road signs, and telephone calls http://www.intechopen.com/source/html/49155/media/image4.png

10. Scaffold Design
• Different types of scaffolds mimic
different types of tissue
• Hard scaffold - bone, cartilage
• Soft and Elastic - skin, most organs
• Major design limitations include:
1) the porosity (or amount of voids in the scaffold)
- important for nutrient transport
2) the mechanical properties of the scaffold
- different cells require different
mechanics
Source: http://www.cellsupports.com/
Source: http://goo.gl/1khB6u

11. Scaffold Design Challenge
• https://goo.gl/HnHBFE
• Break up into teams of 2-3
• Obtain materials
• pipe cleaners
• Popsicle sticks
• tape
• cotton balls
• Go!!