Optimization of a perfusion bioreactor for tissue engineering

Tissue engineering aims to produce artificial tissue in order to create or repair the damage tissue. It is evident that scaffolds are of extreme importance, because they will be the support of the new tissue. This new tissue is cultivated in vitro in a bioreactor in which is placed the scaffold. In order to control the cell culture process inside of a bioreactor it is essential to know the fluid flow inside and around the scaffold and the respective wall shear stress. These wall shear stress must be adequate to the tissue to be cultivated, i.e., bone, muscle, cartilage and it is known that a proper stimulus is necessary to improve the cell proliferation inside the scaffold. This study consider a novel multifunctional bioreactor with a perfusion system module and it is intended to optimize the fluid flow within the scaffold and the respective wall shear stress on the scaffold.