Tissue-engineered ligament
First Claim
1. An apparatus for reconstruction of a previously torn ligament, said apparatus comprising:
- a scaffold of biocompatible material, the scaffold having at least one layer forming a scaffold sheet;
means for seeding the scaffold sheet with fibrocyte forming cells to form a seeded scaffold;
means for increasing the number of the fibrocyte forming cells seeded on the scaffold to create a tissue-engineered scaffold; and
means for forming a slender structure from the tissue-engineered scaffold, the slender structure being a tissue-engineered ligament suitable for implantation into a patient for reconstruction of a ligament.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for the reconstruction of a previously torn ligament using a tissue-engineered ligament. The tissue-engineered ligament includes a scaffold of biocompatible material having at least one layer and forming a sheet. The scaffold is placed in a cultured medium for seeding with fibrocyte forming cells. The seeded scaffold is then placed in an incubator to increase the number of cells. The seeded scaffold is then formed into a slender structure suitable for implantation. The method of making a tissue-engineered ligament includes forming a scaffold of biocompatible material having at least one layer forming a sheet. Next, the scaffold sheet is seeded with fibrocyte forming cells. The method further includes increasing the number of cells on the seeded scaffold and forming a slender structure suitable for implantation from the scaffold.
225 Citations
48 Claims
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1. An apparatus for reconstruction of a previously torn ligament, said apparatus comprising:
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a scaffold of biocompatible material, the scaffold having at least one layer forming a scaffold sheet;
means for seeding the scaffold sheet with fibrocyte forming cells to form a seeded scaffold;
means for increasing the number of the fibrocyte forming cells seeded on the scaffold to create a tissue-engineered scaffold; and
means for forming a slender structure from the tissue-engineered scaffold, the slender structure being a tissue-engineered ligament suitable for implantation into a patient for reconstruction of a ligament. - View Dependent Claims (11, 18, 45)
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2-10. -10. (Canceled)
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12-17. -17. (Canceled)
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19-23. -23. (Canceled)
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24. A method of making a tissue-engineered ligament, said method comprising:
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forming a scaffold sheet of biocompatible material having at least one layer;
seeding the scaffold sheet with fibrocyte forming cells to form a seeded scaffold of at least one sheet;
increasing the number of the fibrocyte forming cells on the seeded scaffold to create a tissue-engineered scaffold; and
forming a slender structure from the tissue-engineered scaffold, the slender structure being a tissue-engineered ligament suitable for implantation into a patient for reconstruction of a ligament. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 47)
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46. (Canceled)
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48. A tissue engineering ligament formed by forming a scaffold sheet, seeding the scaffold sheet with cells, increasing the number of cells, and forming a slender structure suitable for use as a ligament.
Specification