A tissue-engineering scaffold is a porous, biodegradable lattice that gives seeded cells a 3D structure to grow on; as new tissue forms, the scaffold itself dissolves away.
Remaining mass(t) = 100% × exp(-k × t) (first-order polymer degradation)
Cell coverage grows with available surface area (porosity) and time
- Material — PLA degrades over months, PGA over weeks, collagen fastest of all (days-weeks) but with different mechanical strength.
- Porosity — higher porosity gives cells more surface to attach to but weakens the scaffold structurally.
- Time scale — speeds up the simulated degradation/growth clock.
Real-world relevance: matching a scaffold's degradation rate to the tissue's own regrowth rate is one of the central design problems in regenerative medicine — degrade too fast and the structure collapses before new tissue can support itself.