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Researchers use 3-D printer to make bone-like material
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 Susmita Bose |
Researchers have used a 3-D printer to create a bone-like material and structure that can be used in orthopedic procedures and may clear the way for custom-made replacement tissue, according to a Washington State University news release.
Susmita Bose, PhD, stated in the release that it is possible physicians will be able to custom-order replacement bone tissue in a few years.
"If a doctor has a CT scan of a defect, we can convert it to a CAD file and make the scaffold according to the defect," Bose stated.
The printer works by having an inkjet spray a plastic binder over a bed of powder in layers of 20 microns. Following the computer's directions, the printer creates a channeled cylinder the size of a pencil eraser. After a week in a medium with immature human bone cells, the authors said the scaffold was supporting a network of new bone cells.
The bone-like material also could be used to deliver medicine for osteoporosis treatment, the release noted. When paired with actual bone, the material acts as a scaffold for new bone to grown on, and the material then dissolves. The authors have reported successful in vitro tests, claiming they have had promising results with in vivo tests on rats and rabbits.
Reference:
- Fielding GA, Bandyopadhyay A, Bose S. Effects of silica and zinc oxide doping on mechanical and biological properties of 3D printed tricalcium phosphate tissue engineering scaffolds. Dent Mater. 2011. doi:10.1016/j.dental.2011.09.010
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