SCB Co-Convenes Characterization of Fiber-Based Scaffolds Workshop

Washington, DC (August 13, 2018) — On August 10, SCB, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), BioFabUSA, and ASTM International hosted a workshop to gather input from the regenerative medicine community on standards needs related to the characterization of fiber-based scaffolds. More than 40 experts from industry, academia, regulatory agencies, and standards development organizations participated in the in-person workshop held at the BioFabUSA Technology Center in Manchester, NH.

Fiber-based scaffolds have the potential to more closely mimic the properties of a functional tissue than other scaffold designs. As a result, they are being used and considered for a wide variety of tissue engineering applications. To ensure their quality and safety, the regenerative medicine community would benefit from establishing standards for measuring the structural, mechanical, and biological properties of fiber-based scaffolds, which were identified as major scaffolds measurement needs at a 2013 ASTM International workshop.

Last week’s workshop delved more deeply into these issues with discussions focused on fiber-based scaffold characterization, batch-to-batch variability, measurement validation, process controls, release criteria, and comparability. Participants also identified potential improvements for measuring scaffold porosity and diffusivity—areas that regenerative medicine stakeholders indicated are most in need of improvement.

SCB will use the cross-community input gathered at last week’s workshop to support ASTM International in drafting a standard for fiber-based scaffolds. Additionally, SCB is leading discussions to explore the need for or benefit of reference standards for fiber-based scaffolds.

To learn more about how you can get involved in initiatives like this, contact SCB’s Senior Technical Program Manager Dawn Henke at dhenke@regenmedscb.org or sign up for our e-newsletter (below).