Computational Modeling of the Mechanics of Tissue Engineering Fibrous Scaffolds

Abstract

Tissue engineering fibrous scaffolds play a crucial role in regenerative medicine. This chapter discusses the underlying mechanics and various approaches presently available to model these scaffolds and their limitations. The fibrous scaffolds are subjected to forces or deformation at two very different length scales (i.e., macroscopic forces during mechanical characterization and microscopic cellular forces). The scaffold behaves very differently under these two loading conditions, and very few computational frameworks capture the true nature of the scaffold under microscopic loading. The authors have also briefly discussed the two different ways a cell can sense the stiffness of the underlying scaffold and how it differs from the macroscopic stiffness.