Tissue Engineering
Mykito Chitosan is the purest Non-Animal chitosan in the world. This chitosan does not have the betaglucins, heavy metals and other contaminants that are commonly found in chitosan. The Mykito technology is robust, repeatable and produces consistent results.
Flexible Engineering
The addition of Chitosan onto existing 3D scaffolds, or purely Chitosan-based hydrogels, offers an effective surface to improve compatibility with blood and cells [Wang]. Chitosan’s plasticity allows it to be molded, printed, coated, and electro-spunned into different 3D structures/forms to accommodate different cell types and functions/tissues.
Transplant Applications
The effects of Chitosan also extend to the modulation of physiological processes, such as those of liver and vascular cells. This offers the potential to be used as artificial membranes or even organs such as the liver. However, this remains to be further researched [Sivanesan].
Cardiac Tissue Engineering
Chitosan can be used to create cardiac extracellular matrix scaffolds to repair congenital defects [Lv]. These implants can integrate well into the body tissue and the porous scaffold structure effectively facilitates cell survival and proliferation. Chitosan implants can also improve recovery by limiting scarring and promoting blood vessel development following heart attacks [Wang]. Valves can also be coated in Chitosan to enhance their regenerative potential [Jahnavi].
Stents
Chitosan-based stents can also be 3D-printed to perform similarly to traditional metal-based stents [Lauto,Qiu]. Their physical properties can be tailored to meet the demands of stenting. This may include customization to be self-expandable while also having the biocompatibility to enhance local tissue regeneration and reduce the need for re-stenting in the future. This can also utilize its drug-carrying capacity to further augment the environment to assist with healing and inflammation.
Stem cell and gene therapy
After traumatic events such as heart attacks, the heart can be significantly impaired and can potentially be addressed with Chitosan. Chitosan-based scaffolds and nanofibers can provide an effective platform for cardiac stem cells, or injected stem cells, to grow and spread [Patel]. Stem cells are cells that can differentiate into other types of cells, such as heart cells. By delivering stem cells to the heart, it is possible to repair damaged heart tissue. Chitosan nanofibers and scaffolds can also stimulate the genes involved in cardiac contraction and coupling to facilitate electrical conduction [Martins].
Biocompatibility
The biocompatibility and biodegradability of Chitosan make it an excellent non–toxic, non-permanent material to assist in the healing of wounds. As it acts to promote tissue regeneration and prevent infections while also being slowly processed by the body organically and safely [Dai,Jayankumar].
Reduced Toxicity
As chitosan is considered inert, it can overcome concerns regarding toxicity and immunogenicity concerns, especially when applied to tissues more prone to inflammatory damage [Cao].
Do you have a project?
We want to hear from you!
