In situ synthesis and characterization of porous polymer-ceramic composites as scaffolds for gene delivery

The use of three-dimensional scaffolds in gene delivery has emerged as a popular and necessary delivery vehicle for obtaining controlled gene delivery. In this report, techniques to synthesize composite scaffolds by combining natural polymers such as agarose and alginate with calcium phosphate (CaP) are described. The incorporation of CaP into the agarose or alginate hydrogels was performed in situ and the presence of CaP was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The crystallite size of the CaP particles was determined to be 7.20 nm. Lyophilized, porous composites were examined under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to estimate the size of the pores, an essential requirement for an ideal scaffold. The swelling properties of the composite samples were also investigated to study the effect of CaP incorporation on the behavior of the hydrogels. By incorporating CaP into the hydrogel, the aim is to synthesize a scaffold that is mechanically strong and chemically suitable for use as a gene delivery vehicle in tissue engineering.