Presentation: 2025 ND EPSCoR Annual conference
October 21, 2025, NDSU Memorial Union, Fargo, North Dakota
Biomechanically Tunable Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering and Cancer Bone Metastasis Studies
Hanmant
Gaikwad
Doctoral Student
North Dakota State University
Co authors: Priyanka Kumari, PhD Student, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University, Nanang Qosim, PhD student, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, Mohan Edirisinghe, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, Kalpana Katti, Professor, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University, Dinesh Katti, Professor, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University
Session
Concurrent Presentation Session B, Group 1
Prairie Rose Room
Bone tissue engineering requires scaffolds that replicate the structural, mechanical, and biological complexity of natural bone while also serving as robust in vitro models for bone metastasis studies. In this work, we developed polymer nanoclay scaffolds by incorporating polycaprolactone with montmorillonite (MMT) clay modified using three unnatural amino acids: aminovaleric acid, aminopimelic acid, and aminophenyl butyric acid. Structural characterization by X-ray diffraction and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy confirmed successful intercalation of amino acids within MMT layers, while molecular modeling revealed strong interaction energies that enhanced scaffold stability, significantly enhancing scaffold mechanical strength. Sequential culture of human mesenchymal stem cells and MCF-7 breast cancer cells demonstrated scaffold-driven osteogenesis, highlighting their value as models for both regeneration and metastasis studies. To further tune scaffold properties, a core–sheath pressurized gyration technique was employed, enabling precise distribution of modified clays within the fiber structure. Scaffolds with aminovaleric acid-modified clay at both core and sheath exhibited the most significant mineralization and calcium deposition, whereas aminopimelic acid showed moderate effects, and aminobutyric acid-modified scaffolds yielded the lowest mineralization. Notably, butyric acid-modified clay contributed significantly to improving the mechanical properties of the scaffolds when incorporated at either the core or sheath. These results demonstrate how nanoscale modifications with amino acid-functionalized clays enable fine-tuning of scaffold performance, offering dual benefits for regenerative bone therapies and disease modeling platforms.