Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a rapidly emerging technology that promises to transform tissue engineering into a commercially successful biomedical industry. However, the use of robotic bioprinters alone is not sufficient for disease treatment. This study aimed to report the combined application of 3D scanning and 3D printing for treating bone and cartilage defects. Three different kinds of defect models were created to mimic three orthopedic diseases: large segmental defects of long bones, free-form fracture of femoral condyle, and International Cartilage Repair Society grade IV chondral lesion. Feasibility of in situ 3D bioprinting for these diseases was explored. The 3D digital models of samples with defects and corresponding healthy parts were obtained using high-resolution 3D scanning. The Boolean operation was used to achieve the shape of the defects, and then the target geometries were imported in a 3D bioprinter. Two kinds of photopolymerized hydrogels were synthesized as bioinks. Finally, the defects of bone and cartilage were restored perfectly in situ using 3D bioprinting. The results of this study suggested that 3D scanning and 3D bioprinting could provide another strategy for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Highlights
Three-dimensional (3D) printing, known as additive manufacturing, has led to a grand revolution in medicine and life sciences
Each sample was 3D scanned from three different angles to ensure that all surfaces of the samples were captured by the camera
Scanning data were exported to STereo Lithography (STL) format and restored using the Magics software (Fig. 2)
Summary
Three-dimensional (3D) printing, known as additive manufacturing, has led to a grand revolution in medicine and life sciences. The placement of cells, biomaterials, and biomolecules is extremely precise in spatially predefined locations through computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)[1] It might be the therapeutic prospect of some diseases and transform the concept of traditional tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Speaking, 3D bioprinting strategies have demonstrated their ability in fabricating scaffolds with multiple biomaterials and cells. HA is one of the major ingredients of cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) and is involved in cell proliferation, morphogenesis, inflammation, and wound repair. This kind of modified photopolymerizable HA hydrogel showed degradation properties and chondrogenic ability in a previous study, which strongly supported its suitability in cartilage tissue engineering[13]. A combination of modified HA hydrogel and a kind of small molecular compound demonstrated the favorable capacity of cell homing and cartilage repairing
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