Engineered scaffolds are commonly used to assist in cellular
transplantations,
providing crucial support and specific architecture for a variety
of tissue engineering applications. Photopolymerization as a fabrication
technique for cell scaffolds enables precise spatial and temporal
control of properties and structure. One simple technique to achieve
a two-dimensional structure is the use of a patterned photomask, which
results in regionally selective photo-cross-linking. However, the
relationships between photopolymerization parameters like light intensity
and exposure time and outcomes like structural fidelity and mechanical
properties are not well-established. In this work, we used photopolymerization
to generate degradable polycaprolactone triacrylate (PCLTA) scaffolds
with a defined microstructure. We examined the impact of light intensity
and exposure time on scaffold properties such as shear modulus and
micropore structure. To assess feasibility in a specific application
and determine the relationship between parameter-driven properties
and cell loading, we cultured retinal progenitor cells on the PCLTA
scaffolds. We found that light intensity and polymerization time directly
impact the scaffold stiffness and micropore structure, which in turn
influenced the cell loading capacity of the scaffold. Because material
stiffness and topography are known to impact cell viability and fate,
understanding the effect of scaffold fabrication parameters on mechanical
and structural properties is critical to optimizing cell scaffolds
for specific applications.