Computational Methods in the Modeling of Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering - Computational Modeling in Tissue Engineering - page 102

Computational Methods in the Modeling
of Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Andy L. Olivares and Damien Lacroix

Abstract Tissue engineering uses porous biomaterial scaffolds to support the
complex tissue healing process to fulfill two main functions: (1) to support
mechanical loading and (2) to allow mass transport. Computational methods have
been extensively applied to characterize scaffold morphology and to simulate
different biological processes of tissue engineering. In addition, phenomena such a
cell seeding, cell migration, cell proliferation, cell differentiation, vascularisation,
oxygen consumption, mass transport or scaffold degradation can be simulated
using computational methods. A review of the different methods used to model
scaffolds in tissue engineering is described in this chapter.

1 Introduction

Tissue engineering is considered as ''an interdisciplinary field that combines the
knowledge and technology of cells, engineering materials, and suitable bio-
chemical factors to create artificial organs and tissues or to regenerate damaged
tissues'' [ 1 ]. More recently, Williams defined tissue engineering as ''the creation
(or formation) of new tissue for the therapeutic reconstruction of the human body,

A. L. Olivares
Biomechanics and Mechanobiology,
Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia,
Baldiri Reixac, 4, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
e-mail: [e-mail]
D. Lacroix ( & )
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Sheffield, Mappin Street,
Sheffield, S1 3JD, UK
e-mail: [e-mail]