Concepts of scaffold-based tissue engineering--the rationale to use solid free-form fabrication techniques

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic surgery
• Tissue engineering
• Biomaterials science

Background:

• The field of orthopaedic and reconstructive surgery is shifting towards tissue engineering.
• Tissue engineering utilizes biodegradable scaffolds with cells or biological molecules for tissue repair and regeneration.
• Solid free-form fabrication (SFF) technology offers precise control over scaffold architecture and composition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define scaffold properties and establish design criteria for bone engineering.
• To discuss application-specific modifications for in vitro and in vivo use.
• To review current SFF techniques for bone regeneration scaffolds and explore future developments.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on SFF techniques in scaffold fabrication.
• Analysis of scaffold properties and design constraints for bone engineering.
• Discussion of clinical applications and future research directions in bone tissue engineering.

Main Results:

• SFF enables the creation of highly reproducible scaffolds with controlled architectural and compositional variations.
• Established criteria and constraints for scaffold design in bone engineering.
• Reviewed the clinical use of SFF in bone regeneration and highlighted future potential.

Conclusions:

• SFF technology is a promising tool for fabricating advanced bone regeneration scaffolds.
• Future developments include functionalizing scaffolds with growth factors and heparan sulphate polysaccharides.
• Heparan sulphate polysaccharide immobilization presents a promising avenue for bone tissue engineering.