Magnetically oriented tissue-equivalent and biopolymer tubes

摘要

Tissue-equivalent and biopolymer tubes include fibrils which are oriented by a magnetic field. These oriented fibrils provide enhanced mechanical properties to the tissue-equivalent and biopolymer tubes. One such tissue-equivalent tube includes a body of collagen with mammalian tissue cells interspersed therein. The collagen fibrils are circumferentially oriented within the tubular body by a magnetic field, thereby inducing circumferential orientation of the cells. Methods of making magnetically oriented tissue-equivalent tubes and biopolymer tubes are also disclosed.