Abstract #0322

Stosich M, Marion N, Magin R, Xu H, Othman S, Mao j

Repair of extensive soft tissue damage is difficult. Tissue engineering can reduce patients suffering and speed recovery if allogeneic implants can be designed to mimic normal adipogenesis. In this study, we use &[micro]MRE to monitor the mechanical properties of tissue engineered fat by visualizing low frequency (550 Hz) shear waves with high spatial resolution (109 &[micro]m x 109 &[micro]m x 500 &[micro]m). Excellent contrast was observed in vitro over a 3 weeks growth period corresponding to the normal adipogenic development of tissue engineered fat. A 400% (5.8 kPa to 1.4 kPa) reduction in the shear stiffness of the fat was observed.