Alginate/calcium phosphate scaffolds with oriented, tube-like pores

Porous and mineralised scaffolds are required for various applications in hard tissue engineering. Scaffolds with oriented tube-like pores facilitate homogenous cell seeding, a sufficient nutrient supply during cell culture (even in big constructs) and a fast vascularisation after implantation. The phenomenon of ionotropic gelation has been known since more than 30 years which describes that alginate forms gels with capillary-like pores when covered with solutions of di- or trivalent cations [1]. This technique has been used here to develop scaffolds with tube-like and regular pores from alginate/calcium phosphate composites and to stabilise them by mineralisation with hydroxyapatite from solution.