3D scaffold fabrication by mask projection excimer laser stereolithography

The production of 3D scaffolds with well-controlled architecture at the micrometer-scale is a fundamental issue for the advancement of tissue engineering towards applications in health care. Stereolithography is a highly versatile and accurate technique to fabricate 3D scaffolds with controlled architectures. Here, a scalable stereolithography method combining mask projection with excimer laser is reported. Its capability is showcased by a variety of mm-sized 3D biodegradable scaffolds patterned with a spatial resolution well-suited for tissue engineering applications. The presented method offers a concrete possibility to scale-up stereolithography-based production of 3D scaffolds to be used in regenerative medicine with potentially high-impact on health care. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America