血管生物反应器的培养舱产生搏动和剪切应力刺激体外血管构建

　　The DynaGen® Series bioreactors provide mechanical stimulation to three dimensional tissue engineered constructs to create physiological conditions in-vitro. The LumeGen system imparts pulsatile flow and pressure to a vascular conduit. Applications include the investigation of cell function and differentiation, pharmaceutical benchtop testing, and the seeding and growth of engineered tissues and medical devices.

　　Chambers

　　The LumeGen bioreactor chamber creates pulsatile and shear stress stimulation for a single vascular construct. Standard construct sizes may range from 2 to 6mm inner diameter and from 10 to 60mm in length. The modular design facilitates scaffold installation and cell seeding separate from the stimulation system. Multiple ports are available for media access, catheter probe insertion, sample collection, or further instrumentation. The autoclavable chamber has a volume of 60mL. Additional chamber features include:

　　Grip Options

　　The LumeGen chambers use barbed stainless steel fittings with an elastic clamp to imobilize the construct. Standard barb sizes accommodate 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6mm lumen internal diameters and are interchangeable using a universal connector system.

　　DynaGen® Stimulator:

　　The LumeGen bioreactor system includes the 6Vr pulsatile pressure mechanical stimulator. The 6Vr stimulator features a 40N linear motor that is compact, corrosion resistant and incubator compatible. The stimulator employs pressure control to deliver user defined sinusoidal or physiological pressure waveforms to a maximum pressure of 200 mmHg. The 6Vr is integrated with a computer controlled mean flow pump and is capable of low or high-flow configurations. The flow rate of the mean flow pump is automatically altered to maintain the desired mean pressure within the heart valve. The stimulator dimensions are as follows:

　　GrowthWorks® Software & Control:

　　A fifth generation design, the GrowthWorks Software and Control platform includes advanced capabilities, such as multiple waveform control, data acquisition and multi-motor operation. The intuitive software runs on a Windows® laptop computer and features a simple user interface. User defined stimulation profiles are controlled by the software and are readily monitored using graphical displays. Integrated data acquisition routines capture and record data at user prescribed intervals. The GrowthWorks Software is configurable for running four stimulators while simultaneously monitoring up to 16 transducers, allowing the researcher maximum flexibility.

　　The GrowthWorks Control Hardware features an embedded Intel CPU, integrated data acquisition and integrated motor drives. Communications between the laptop and control hardware is transmitted over a standard network cable. Primary advantages of the TGT Laptop/Controller approach are reduced physical size and easy upgradability. As future Windows versions or higher performance Laptops become available, either can be replaced without any software or controller changes. This ensures the GrowthWorks control system will be an integral part of your research for many years to come.

　　GrowthApps Stiffness Measurement & Adaptive Control:

　　The GrowthApps modules provided added capability to GrowthWorks. The addition of the Stiffness Measurement & Adaptive Control Application enables the system to make real-time measurements of the sample stiffness during culture. Described in U.S. Patent 7,410,792 B2 Instrumented bioreactor with material property measurement capability and process-based adjustment for conditioning tissue engineered medical products., the Application measures the mechanical response of the tissue construct as it is being stimulated and conditioned. The stiffness measurements can be used as guidelines for bench marking progress during culturing or for modifying the stimulation profile. Based upon the measured response, the bioreactor system is then capable of altering the stimulation profile. This technology enables researchers to automatically culture the tendon or ligament from initial seeding to an implantation-ready state with minimal operator intervention.

　　LumeGen Bioreactor Configurations

　　LumeGen bioreactorc configurations range from a single chamber to an integrated six chamber system. The 1V system is a single chamber design that is able to support basic pulsatile pressure and shear stress experiments. Optional features can be added including laser micrometers, pressure sensors and other transducers. The LumeGen 6Vc system integrates up to six chambers,individual reserviors, pumps and stimulator onto a frame that can be easily placed into an incubator. Individual flow loops are provided for each chamber. The table below describes the features of the 1V and 6Vc systems.