We demonstrate the fabrication of three-dimensional, highly ordered protein-based hydrogel platforms for tissue engineering applications. The combination of colloidal templating microfabrication strategies and highly substituted, photocrosslinkable gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) protein allowed us to fabricate inverted colloidal crystal (ICC) scaffolds with uniform pore interconnectivity, high structural stability and tailorable degradation properties. The resulting scaffolds provided cell attachment sites and promoted intercellular interaction among hepatocytes, which resulted in improved cell function compared to a flat, two-dimensional system. The results demonstrate the potential of GelMA ICC scaffolds to become an effective tissue engineering platform for drug screening and regenerative medicine applications.
- Bae Hoon Lee
- Hitomi Shirahama
- Lay Poh Tan
