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Physical And Geometrical Modulation Of Human Fibroblast Behaviour, Sarah M. Brooks

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis investigates the impact of mechanical stimuli, specifically substratum topography and elastic modulus, on dermal and gingival fibroblast behaviour associated with scarring and regeneration. Scar formation presents a significant issue for implanted biomaterials often leading to device failure. Even though scar formation is a normal end point to adult human dermal wound healing, gingival wounds are capable of tissue regeneration or scarless wound healing. Understanding how these cells respond to environmental cues, including substratum topography and elastic modulus, is central to the development of novel biomaterials for stimulation of tissue regeneration. It was hypothesized that topographic features, with submicron …