Advanced tissue engineering through the control of nano/micro-scale suructures

Although control of nano/micro-scale structures of scaffolds is definitely important in the subsequent functional expression of organized tissues/organs, such a well-defined control has not been realized well. Specifically, tissues/organs constructed from conventional scaffolds without controlled nano/micro-scale structures are usually homogeneous where for example mass-transfer with culture medium or blood flow is sometimes insufficient. Therefore, we are targeting at 1) advanced scaffold fabrication having improved mechanical and biological characteristics through improved design of structure and molecules from nano/micro-scale to macro-scale, and 2) organization of micro-tissues (up to several hundred cells) using a laser-trapping technology and high-affinity bindings of cells in a specialized microfluidic system.