In Silico Optimization of Scaffolds for Skeletal Muscle Tissue Engineering

In silico optimization of scaffolds for skeletal muscle tissue engineering offers a precise and efficient approach to designing structures that promote cellular growth and tissue regeneration, as a precursor for fabrication. This study focuses on optimizing fluid flow through the porosity within three scaffold designs: orthogonally oriented cylindrical tube layers, cylindrical tube layers oriented at 0°, 60°, and 90°, and a honeycomb with inner connections structure design. This study aims to match the fluid dynamics and porosity of these designs to those of a porous media reference model. Using COMSOL Multiphysics simulations, the geometric parameters of each scaffold were varied systematically. For cylindrical scaffolds, the radius and spacing between cylinders were adjusted, while for the honeycomb design, the thickness of the lines connecting opposite vertices of the base element was optimized. All models encompassed the space of <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$1 ~\text{cm} \times 1 \text{cm} \times 500 \mu ~\mathrm{m}$</tex>. The optimization process zeroed in on the values of the dimensions that achieve the closest match to the desired flow and porosity characteristics of a referenced porous media model. This approach provides a robust framework for designing and finding optimal parameters for scaffolds tailored to specific tissue engineering needs, more precisely in skeletal muscle regeneration.