BioCoder #8

Chapter 6. DIY Open Source Biomaterials

Daniel Modulevsky^a,b and Andrew E. Pelling^a,e

The regeneration of diseased or damaged tissues and organs is one of the major goals of regenerative medicine (RegenMed). Currently, there are a variety of approaches under intense investigation to achieve the repair of diseased or damaged tissues and organs. In addition to STEM and/or gene therapy, physical (bio)polymer scaffolds are being developed in 3D shapes that mimic both the physical and biochemical properties of the original organ, which may aid in the overall healing process.^1-6 Such scaffolds are generally very expensive and costly to produce, as discussed in our other article in this issue (Chapter 3). One promising approach has been the use of decellularization techniques to produce “ghost organs” that can be repopulated with living cells derived from donors or possibly even the patient.⁷ One drawback is that donor tissues/organs are still required in order to produce the replacement. Also in development are synthetic or naturally derived polymers which can be molded or 3D printed into specific shapes. This removes the need for donor organs; however, the synthetic chemical or biological scaffolds can be very costly due to the processes required to produce them and/or the intellectual property rights associated with licensing of such materials. The downstream effect is that the widespread use of such scaffolds in RegenMed will likely be limited to nations that can afford the significant ...