As users around the world embrace 3D printing, its impact continues to grow across industries-especially medicine, as researchers use bioprinting in their own laboratories, as well as create medical devices, implants, prosthetics, and more. Although 3D printing and ear tissue bioprinting in the field of hearing devices are not new, researchers in the Netherlands have been working on a new method of auricle reconstruction.
The Dutch research team outlined their findings in "designing and manufacturing a hybrid alginate hydrogel / poly (ε-caprolactone) mold for auricular cartilage reconstruction due to the challenges of creating 3D printed cartilage implants Objectives, the researchers evaluated whether the bioprinting material they considered was really feasible because they used alginate as a cellular carrier to create poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) scaffolds. The success of this technology could mean bypassing More traditional methods, the challenges of these methods include:
1. Incidence of donor site
2. Implant risk factor
3. Surgery is difficult
(A) Schematic diagram of the biological manufacturing steps of the implant model. (B) Schematic of the research method.
First, the alginate hydrogel beads and 3D printed PCL scaffolds were analyzed separately. Next, alginate and PCL were combined in one construct to develop an auricle implant model. PCL: poly-ε-caprolactone.
"The combination of tissue engineering and new biomanufacturing strategies is a promising solution for designing auricle implants using patient-derived proprioceptive cells. These bio-manufactured auricle structures can ultimately be used as patient-specific The inputs were used to reconstruct the deformed auricles, "the researchers said in their paper.
The key for these scientists is to find a scaffold strong enough to withstand cell growth and the growth of tissue-producing cells. New scaffolds of this type must be durable but also porous, and easy to break down in terms of biodegradability. Bioink consisting of synthetic or natural hydrogels can be used to 3D print cells, or you can choose to make supporting scaffolds and then add a cell-hydrogel mixture. Polyε-caprolactone (PCL) is a plastic material that has been successfully used to make sufficiently strong stents for this purpose.
The custom software creates G-codes, and medical-grade PCL performs 3D printing on 3DDiscovery. The mold is then cleaned, sterilized and sealed. Researchers used microscopes, digital cameras, and fiber optic lights to evaluate the structure of each sample. They then assessed cell viability, and biomechanical analysis examined the PCL scaffold and the alginate hydrogel itself.
CAD view, general view and microscopic view of 3D printed PCL stent, where the distances between the strands are different. S represents the sample, and the number represents the distance between the strands in micrometers (μm).
Then they found that the bracket was feasible:
"The structural characteristics of a 3D printed PCL stent are determined by examining surface porosity and mechanical properties. Macro analysis of the PCL stent shows good print quality." The researchers said, "However, microscopic analysis of a single PCL chain shows a short distance There are some differences in the inner strand diameter. In addition, the side view of the scaffold shows the diversity of the pore width. In general, the smaller the pore width, the more accurate the 3D printed scaffold is. It does have the type of mechanical properties needed to withstand the challenges of in vivo tissue maturation and the ability to form a natural core of tissue.
A) General view of the PCL-alginate auricle implant model. Alginate can be found in the groove of the PCL mold. (B) In vitro cultured PCL-alginate auricle implant model. (C) LIVE / DEAD staining of alginate was removed from the PCL mold after 21 days of culture. High cell survival was observed throughout the implant model.