A device for producing a trabecular fiber within a ventricle of a heart. The device includes a substrate and a first tissue anchor connected to the substrate. The substrate is formed of a non-rigid material.

Provided herein are scaffolds and methods useful to promote the formation of functional clusters on a tissue, for example, motor endplates (MEPs) or a component thereof on skeletal muscle cells or tissue, as well as the use of scaffolds so produced for repairing a tissue injury or defect.

The present invention relates to a composition comprising a biocompatible matrix and a substantially pure mesenchymal stem cells population. The present invention also relates to its use for treating soft tissue injuries.

The invention is directed to methods and compositions for obtaining uniform sized muscle fiber fragments for transplantation. These muscle fiber fragments are able to reconstitute into long fibers that are oriented along native muscle. The implanted muscle cells integrate with native vascular and neural network, as confirmed by histology and immunohistochemistry. This invention is particularly advantageous because autologous muscle can be harvested from a donor site, processed and injected into target sites in the operating room. The fragmented muscle fibers can be readily integrated within the host.

Provided are layered cell sheets, comprising a plurality of layered cell sheets containing myoblasts, in which each cell sheet comprises cell population containing myoblasts with controlled orientations. Preferably provided are the layered cell sheets comprising a region in which the orientations of the cell population containing the myoblasts in each cell sheet are identical to each other.

Disclosed herein are muscle implants and methods of making muscle implants comprising one or more decellularized muscle matrices. The muscle matrices can be provided in a particulate form suitable for injection or implantation.

The present invention provides a scaffold for tissue regeneration and a method of manufacturing the same. The scaffold for tissue regeneration of the present invention includes grooves and ridges formed on one surface thereof, wherein the grooves or ridges have a plurality of nanopores formed thereon, thereby providing an environment suitable for attachment, differentiation, growth, and migration of cells. Therefore, the scaffold may be effectively used as a material for tissue regeneration.

Disclosed herein are muscle implants and methods of making muscle implants comprising one or more decellularized muscle matrices. The muscle matrices can, optionally, be joined to one or more decellularized dermal matrices. The muscle implants can be used to enhance muscle volume or to treat muscle damage, defects, and/or disorders. The decellularized muscle matrices in the implants retain at least some of the myofibers found in a muscle tissue prior to processing.

Various systems and process for fabricating customized medical devices via the freeform reversible embedding of suspended hydrogels process are disclosed. The mechanical properties of the fabricated objects can be controlled according to the manner or orientation in which the structure material is deposited into the support material and the three-dimensional movement of the extruder assembly. Further, the dimensions of the fabricated objects can be validated by adding a contrast agent to the structure material, obtaining a three-dimensional reconstruction of the fabricated object, and then comparing the three-dimensional reconstruction to the computer model upon which the fabricated object is based. These and other techniques are described herein.

In accordance with the purpose(s) of the present disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein, the disclosure, in one aspect, relates to gel-phase inks suitable for extrusion-based 3D printing and methods of making the same, as well as anisotropic hydrogels printed from the same. In another aspect, the disclosure relates to linear contractile elements constructed from the anisotropic hydrogels and 3D structures with programmed morphologies and motions comprising the linear contractile elements. In still another aspect, the disclosure relates to a process for preparing soft materials and a method to create 3D structures starting from the gel-phase inks disclosed herein. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.