Cell growth modelling in a granular scaffold in dynamic and static culture

Recently, some researchers suggested using granular scaffolds in tissue engineering. These structures have interconnected big pores in their structure. This porous structure can provide a good environment for cells to grow and communicate. It also creates a suitable place for transportation of supplements to the cells. However, finding a suitable structure with trial and error in laboratories needs big financial investments, employing specialists and dedicating a huge amount of time. One good solution to these limitations is to use computational modeling before fabricating the scaffolds. These simulations are fast, accurate and efficient. In this study, a computational model was developed to simulate cell growth in a granular scaffold and different equations like Navier-Stocks and Michaelis-Menten were used. Both dynamic and static culture were considered and the glucose and oxygen distribution were evaluated in the scaffold. Computational fluid dynamic calculations were conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The results showed that, uniform glucose and oxygen distribution was observed in dynamic culture because of supplementation with fresh culture media. However, since granular scaffolds have porous structures, cells also grew properly in the static culture. The number of seeded cells increased 22 fold after 14 days in both static and dynamic culture. In general, the results showed that granular scaffolds may be suitable structures for cell growth in tissue engineering applications.