Rapid production of autologous fibrin hydrogels for cellular encapsulation in organ regeneration

Abstract

Autologous hydrogel manufacture is an exciting technique within the field of regenerative medicine. Fibrin is a protein with many biocompatible and regenerative features. The ability to generate fibrin scaffolds with the necessary matrix topography for cell integration, from a patient's autologous tissue, could improve the translation of many tissue engineering efforts from bench to clinical application. Here we describe the rapid extraction and production of fibrin hydrogels for development of organs, using a simple low-cost series of centrifugations and ethanol precipitation, which produces hydrogels of a more predictable amount and morphology. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.