Alginates in bioengineering

The use of alginate in textile scaffolds has certain specialized uses. Flexibility provides versatility and thus alginate fiber systems are ideal for encouraging cells to recreate the tissue geometry in three dimensions. Scaffolds may be knitted, woven, nonwoven, braided, embroidered or a combination of these techniques. They may be modified to meet the different cell requirements by, say, altering the fiber diameter, length or even the extreme step of modifying the polymer. 

Stokton, B. (1979), University of Leeds, PhD Thesis, Study of alginate in larger brown algae with particular reference to attachment . 

Baardseth, E. (1961), Pro. V Int. Seaweeds Symposium in Halifax, Pergamon Press, 1966. 

(1983), MSc Dissertation, University of Leeds, Influence of spinning variables on the properties of calcium alginate fibers . 

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