TY - JOUR TI - Design and characterization of the tensile properties of 3-d braid-twist ligament scaffolds DO - https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3MS3VGC PY - 2015 AB - There are roughly between 100,000 -250,000 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries that are annually diagnosed in the U.S. alone. Around 50,000 of these require surgical reconstruction and replacement of the ACL [1-2]. The current treatment of choice is the use of an autograft harvested from the patellar tendon, the hamstring tendon or quadriceps tendons. However, autologous grafts are associated with a number of drawbacks including donor site morbidity and the requirement of two surgeries to carry out the ACL replacement. Therefore, alternative techniques need to be developed for ACL reconstruction. Recently tissue engineering-based scaffolds have received wide attention as potentially viable alternatives to autografts. This report discusses the development and characterization of the tensile properties of a 3-D braid twist scaffold fabricated using an automated braiding machine. The braiding angle of the scaffolds was altered in a controllable manner. Scaffolds with three different braiding angles; 53°, 63° and 72° were obtained to determine the effect of braiding angle on the tensile properties of the braid-twist scaffolds. Based on these studies scaffolds with a braiding angle of 72° were determined to have tensile characteristics most suitable for ligament replacement. Future studies will further evaluate the mechanical and biological properties of these scaffolds. KW - Biomedical Engineering KW - Tissue engineering KW - Joints--Regeneration KW - Anterior cruciate ligament LA - eng ER -