ABSTRACT
I. Introduction to Hepatic Tissue Engineering .................................................................. 609
II. Overview of Three-Dimensional Tissue Fabrication .................................................... 610
III. 3D Scaffold Fabrication Methods .................................................................................. 611
A. Heat-Based Scaffold Fabrication ........................................................................... 611
B. Light-Based Scaffold Fabrication .......................................................................... 613
C. Adhesive-Based Scaffold Fabrication .................................................................... 615
D. Molded Scaffold Fabrication ................................................................................. 616
IV. Fabrication of Cellular Structures .................................................................................. 616
V. Fabrication of Hybrid (Cell/Scaffold) Constructs ......................................................... 618
A. Cell-Laden Hydrogels ............................................................................................ 618
B. Three-Dimensional Photopatterning of Cell-Laden Hydrogels ............................ 618
VI. Summary and Future Directions .................................................................................... 619
Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................... 620
References ................................................................................................................................... 621
Liver disease is the direct cause of death for over 25,000 Americans annually and is the underlying
cause of death for another 15,000, with estimated direct health care costs ranging from $60 billion
to $100 billion in the U.S. alone. Unlike other chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease that
have experienced declining rates over the past two decades, the rates of liver failure are increasing
due to the spread of hepatitis C.
