Conclusion and future work

Abstract

This project demonstrates that poly(organophosphazenes) are promising candidates for tissue engineering matrices. It was shown that biocompatible polymers with reasonable degradation rates could be produced. Thiol-ene photochemistry can be used to crosslink the material to gain mechanical strength necessary to carry the cell load. Additionally, thiol-ene photochemistry can be used to add functional moieties, with which not only the chemical properties of the matrix can be changed, but also cell-recognition signals can be added to increase cell adhesion and tailor cell migration, differentiation and proliferation.