Based on the College of Waterloo, researchers have developed a brand new materials that mimics the behaviour of human bone and is able to being 3D printed with a excessive diploma of accuracy.
Lead researcher Dr. Thomas Willett, from the Division of Methods Design Engineering on the College of Waterloo, was influenced by his experiences working with orthopaedic surgeons at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. “I discovered that the strategies getting used, although profitable, have been extraordinarily sophisticated and required loads of ability,” he stated. “I believed we might do one thing with engineering, utilizing 3D printing to supply a bone graft.”
Many surgical procedures require bones to be repaired and changed. That is usually achieved utilizing metallic implants and donated tissue that acts as a framework for brand new bone development. Docs attempt to match out there donated bones with the affected person, however it may be onerous to seek out an actual match.
A cloth that’s appropriate for grafting but in addition 3D printable would allow surgeons to exactly match the geometry of the bone being changed. This could make the method a lot simpler and safer, with much less chance of rejection or an infection. “3D printing would additionally enable us so as to add engineered options that may maintain the graft in place,” stated Willett. “This could take away the necessity for the metallic screws and plates that surgeons would usually use.
A brand new materials
Backed by funding from the Canadian Institutes of Well being Analysis, Willett and his collaborator, Dr. Maud Gorbet, director of the Biomedical Engineering program, got down to make this materials a actuality. The analysis group additionally benefited from the contributions of younger researchers, together with Dr. Dibakar Mondal, Dr. Sanaz Saadatmand Hashemi, and Elizabeth Diederichs (PhD in progress), who continues to work with Willett.
On the core of the College of Waterloo work is a brand new nanocomposite materials. It combines a triglyceride that’s just like fats with a nanoscale particle referred to as hydroxyapatite. “The hydroxyapatite particles play just a few roles,” stated Willett. “They supply mechanical reinforcement, making the fabric stiffer and stronger. Additionally they create a beneficial floor for the fabric to mix with bone cells.”
Because the physique repairs itself, the distinctive properties of this materials enable new bone tissue to work together with and regularly exchange the graft. A 2024 examine printed within the Journal of Biomedical Supplies Analysis confirmed that supplies containing nanoscale hydroxyapatite particles are a viable potential different for grafting.
Trying ahead
The researchers are actually centered on refining their materials to perform each within the human physique and thru the 3D printing course of. “The problem now could be optimization,” stated Diederichs. “It’s a balancing act between all of the totally different qualities we’d like.”
Diederichs’s work focuses on getting the fabric to be sturdy sufficient to face up to the pressures of the human physique, whereas additionally being able to slowly degrading to permit for brand new bone development. The workforce needs the fabric to be suitable with the very best accuracy 3D printers out there, making certain that grafts are exactly fitted to every affected person.
“We will take CT scans and use computer-aided design to develop a mannequin for the piece of bone that must be printed,” stated Willett. “We might use this course of for any bone that has misplaced a big piece or has advanced geometry.” 3D printed bone grafts might even have purposes for pets, decreasing the necessity for amputations that impression high quality of life.
This work has the potential to rework skeletal restore and reconstructive surgical procedure by dramatically bettering affected person outcomes. “I feel it’s very thrilling,” stated Diederichs. “We might have a cloth that you could absolutely customise to a affected person, and that can have a big effect on the success of bone grafts and surgical outcomes.”
