Researchers have succeeded in printing osteochondral tissue using a 3D printer. The development may provide relief for patients with osteochondral injuries, where both bone and cartilage are damaged.
The development comes from the hands of the US-based Rice University. Osteochondral injuries come in many forms, such as small cracks that form in the tissue or pieces of bone that break off. Such injuries often cause pain and, for elite athletes, can even mean the end of their careers.
Fix common sports injuries
"Athletes are disproportionately affected by this type of injury, but anyone can be affected by this," explained Sean Bittner, a Rice University student and member of the research team. "I think this could be a powerful tool to help people with common sports injuries."
Until now, it was not possible to recreate osteochondral tissue, which meant that such injuries could only be addressed in a limited way. The biggest challenge here is the gradual transition from cartilage to bone in this tissue, which is difficult to reproduce artificially. This is where researchers from Rice University have now succeeded. The researchers publish their findings in Acta Biomaterialia.
Polymer and ceramics
The researchers have created a material consisting of a combination of polymer and ceramic. In this, the polymer mimics cartilage, while the ceramic represents bone. These materials gradually blend together, just like in osteochondral tissue in the human body. The composition of the material can be tailored to the patient, but will be identical for most patients, according to Bitner.
The 3D printed osteochondral tissue (photo by: Jeff Fitlow)
The material has pores that allow a patient's own cells and blood vessels to grow into the material. This allows the material to eventually become part of a patient's natural bone and cartilage. "The porosity allows blood vessels to grow from the natural bone. So we don't need to manufacture blood vessels ourselves," Bitner said.
'Big impact'
The research team is led by Antonios Mikos, a bioscientist at Rice University. Mikos talks about a great success in developing bioprinting tools that can answer basic scientific questions and bring new knowledge into clinical practice. "In this context, this development has a great impact and can lead to new regenerative medicine solutions," Mikos said.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: Rice University
