title: Pilot study of a novel vacuum-assisted method for decellularization of tracheae for clinical tissue engineering applications.
abstract: Tissue engineered tracheae have been successfully implanted to treat a small number of patients on compassionate grounds. The treatment has not become mainstream due to the time taken to produce the scaffold and the resultant financial costs. We have developed a method for decellularization (DC) based on vacuum technology, which when combined with an enzyme/detergent protocol significantly reduces the time required to create clinically suitable scaffolds. We have applied this technology to prepare porcine tracheal scaffolds and compared the results to scaffolds produced under normal atmospheric pressures. The principal outcome measures were the reduction in time (9 days to prepare the scaffold) followed by a reduction in residual DNA levels (DC no-vac: 137.8±48.82 ng/mg vs. DC vac 36.83±18.45 ng/mg, p<0.05.). Our approach did not impact on the collagen or glycosaminoglycan content or on the biomechanical properties of the scaffolds. We applied the vacuum technology to human tracheae, which, when implanted in vivo showed no significant adverse immunological response. The addition of a vacuum to a conventional decellularization protocol significantly reduces production time, whilst providing a suitable scaffold. This increases clinical utility and lowers production costs. To our knowledge this is the first time that vacuum assisted decellularization has been explored. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Research, NPIMR, Watford Rd, Harrow, UK.|Department of Haematology, UCL, Medical School, London, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Research, NPIMR, Watford Rd, Harrow, UK.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Greco
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, UCL, Medical School, London, UK.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Partington
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, UCL, Medical School, London, UK.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Immunomorphology Laboratory, Department of Biology, IBILCE-UNESP, São José do Rio Preto, Brazil.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oliani
authors.affiliation: UCL Ear Institute, Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Birchall
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Research, NPIMR, Watford Rd, Harrow, UK.
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Sibbons
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, UCL, Medical School, London, UK.
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Lowdell
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Research, NPIMR, Watford Rd, Harrow, UK.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ansari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000494:pharmacology; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000378:metabolism; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D034421:Sus scrofa; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry; D014132:Trachea / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D014618:Vacuum
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D003094:Collagen; D004247:DNA
keywords: decellularization; tissue engineering; trachea; transplantation; vacuum