Patent ID: 9670443
Date: 2017-06-06
CPC Classifications: A61K,A61L,C12M,C12N

Claim:
1. A method of forming an implantable tissue engineered construct, the method comprising the steps of: providing a bioreactor comprising a well and a load applicator, the well having a base; locating a resiliently deformable tissue construct support element on the base of the well, the support element having an upper surface; seeding a scaffold with cells to form a tissue construct; locating the tissue construct on the base of the well in a space defined by the tissue construct support element, the tissue construct being arranged so that it protrudes beyond the upper surface of the support element, and the support element being arranged so that it surrounds the tissue construct; operating the load applicator to apply a cyclical compressive mechanical load to the tissue construct, to stimulate the deposition of tissue matrix in the tissue construct; arranging the load applicator so that it at least initially contacts both the tissue construct and the tissue construct support element, so that at least part of a total load generated by the load applicator is borne, at least initially, by the tissue construct support element and the support element deformed by the load applicator; in which the tissue construct support element has an elastic modulus which is greater than an elastic modulus of the tissue construct prior to commencement of application of the mechanical load.