Design, Modelling and Fabrication of a Bioreactor for Maturating Primordial Ovarian Follicles

Understanding how various mechanical stresses act as stimuli in the process of folliculogenesis can greatly contribute to the understanding of this complex bioprocess.  Specifically, it will contribute to constructing clinical tools for the preservation of women fertility, especially those undergoing chemotherapy treatments. Tissues in the human body are constantly exposed to mechanical stresses of complex nature, which have a direct impact on tissue development, maintenance and functionality. This project was established to design a mechanical radial stress bioreactor, which will mimic the mechanical stress induced by the growth of the Graafian follicle on the primordial follicles within the cortex of the native ovary. The bioreactor was designed to operate with a linear actuator of compatible step resolution and monitored using a programmable controller. In order to address tissue stretch limitations, Young's modulus was determined by applying uniaxial stress-strain tests both for the ovarian medulla and cortical regions of a young female pig. Young's modulus values obtained were 0.658 ± 0.245MPa and 0.263 ± 0.165MPa for the cortex and medulla respectively. The former allowed the fine tuning of the bioreactor, using a non- linear dynamic analysis in Solidworks. This platform was further used for the overall design of the bioreactor. Design considerations, such as sterility, sufficient gas supply, and others were also considered.  The main materials comprising the design were transparent polycarbonate (PC) and stainless steel (S.S). Finally, the proposed bioreactor offers a platform for studying the influence of mechanical stress on the growth and maturation of the primordial follicle either in its native tissue or in a three-dimensional scaffold