A Simplified Mathematical Model for Cell Proliferation in a Tissue-Engineering Scaffold

While the effects of external factors like fluid mechanical forces and scaffold geometry on tissue growth have been extensively studied, the influence of cell behavior—particularly nutrient consumption and depletion within the scaffold—has received less attention. Incorporating such factors into mathematical models allows for a more comprehensive understanding of tissue-engineering processes. This work presents a comprehensive continuum model for cell proliferation within two-dimensional tissue-engineering scaffolds. Through mathematical modeling and asymptotic analysis based on the small aspect ratio of the scaffolds, the study aims to reduce computational burdens and solve mathematical models for tissue growth within porous scaffolds. The model incorporates fluid dynamics of nutrient feed flow, nutrient transport, cell concentration, and tissue growth, considering the evolving scaffold porosity due to cell proliferation, with the crux of the work establishing the ideal pore shape for channels within the tissue-engineering scaffold to obtain the maximum tissue growth. We investigate scaffolds with specific two-dimensional initial porosity profiles, and our results show that scaffolds which are uniformly graded in porosity throughout their depth promote more tissue growth.