TY - JOUR T1 - The development of a bioengineered composite 3D-printed scaffold for tracheal regeneration JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J DO - 10.1183/13993003.congress-2021.PA2046 VL - 58 IS - suppl 65 SP - PA2046 AU - Tehreem Khalid AU - Mark Lemoine AU - Sally-Ann Cryan AU - Fergal O’Brien AU - Cian O’Leary AU - Cian O’Leary Y1 - 2021/09/05 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/58/suppl_65/PA2046.abstract N2 - Introduction: Attempted tracheal replacement efforts to date have had very little success, often succumbing to stenosis within poorly-vascularised constructs. The major objective of this study was to develop a tissue-engineered, collagen-hyaluronate-thermoplastic composite scaffold as an innovative tracheal medical device that exhibits cellular biocompatibility, robust mechanical properties, and submucosal blood vessel formation.Methods: A biodegradable, thermoplastic polymer was used to 3D-print a tubular backbone and integrated into a customised collagen-hyaluronate biomaterial, with construct design optimised via multimodal mechanical assessment. The scaffold’s vascularisation potential was determined by assessment of viability and angiogenesis in a co-culture model of HUVECs and human MSCs.Results: The 3D-printed backbone was successfully incorporated with the collagen-hyaluronate by lyophilisation, producing a composite scaffold with a mean pore size of 300μm, ideal for vascularisation. The construct mimicked native tracheal mechanics with a compressive moduli of 0.09-0.19 MPa and flexural moduli of 0.13-0.29 MPa. The composite scaffold enhanced cell growth with 2-fold higher levels of DNA than control. Notably, vascularisation was detected through image analysis, CAM assay, growth factor release (VEGF and bFGF), and angiogenic gene expression (KDR, TEK-2 and ANG-1) that remained sustainable up to 14 days.Conclusion: By addressing both the mechanical and vascularisation requirements of a tracheal scaffold, this work has begun to pave the way to solve the critical components required for clinically-successful implants for tracheal regeneration.Funding: SFI-Funded AMBER Centre (17/RC-PhD/3477)FootnotesCite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2021; 58: Suppl. 65, PA2046.This abstract was presented at the 2021 ERS International Congress, in session “Prediction of exacerbations in patients with COPD”.This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only). ER -