I-Corps: 3D Tissue Inks: Multifunctional 3D Printing Platform for Bone Graft Substitutes

Northwestern University, Evanston IL

Investigators

Abstract

Most bone grafting procedures to date still use autograft or allograft materials as the standard of care, which require tissue harvesting, are expensive, and are difficult to form into patient-specific implants. The proposed new materials technology platform allows for the synthesis and 3D-printing of customizable or off-the-shelf products that closely mimic tissue such as bone. Its unique mechanical and biological properties, combined with the ease of fabrication, potential for scalability, and low material and processing costs make this material system a very promising new bone tissue substitute for patients suffering from orthopaedic, dental, or craniomaxillo facial tissue defects. This new technology has the potential to transform the standard of care for these applications, while significantly reducing medical costs associated with product manufacturing, surgical procedures, and patient recovery times. Unlike other high ceramic-content biomaterials, which are brittle, require high temperature processing, and have limited bioactivity, the proposed patent-pending material, Hyperelastic Bone (HB), has elastic and formable qualities and can be rapidly fabricated at room temperature from liquid inks into complex, custom or mass-produced, implantable structures using an extrusion-based 3D-printing platform. Additionally, the proposed 3D printable material platform enables users to tailor the implant through control of a variety of parameters, including overall architecture, porosity, strength, stiffness, absorbency, and bioactivity. Biological testing shows that this material is biocompatible and effectively supports cell and tissue infiltration as well as bone formation.