Applying Direct Electrical Stimulus to Drive Cell Behavior for 3D Tissue Engineering

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint disease which leads to the progressive decomposition of hyaline cartilage, the protective tissue which covers diarthrodial joints. Due to its’ limited capacity for self-repair, 3D tissue engineering is a prospective treatment being explored to restore damaged tissue. This project utilizes graphene foam (GF) as a bioscaffold for the excellent mechanical, electrical, and biocompatible qualities that lend to the optimization of cell growth. This work, using 3D cell culture techniques, aims to impact the differentiation and proliferation of ATDC5 cells with applied electrical stimulation. To our knowledge, developing parameters for a specific membrane potential (MP) will facilitate ion exchange, thus driving cell behavior. We’ve determined morphological differences after stimulation using fluorescence microscopy, and have plans to quantify these results with gene expression, RAMAN spectroscopy, and microcomputed tomography (MicroCT) in the future. In general, these techniques will determine whether or not electrical stimulus drives cell behavior under certain conditions.