Open-source three-dimensional printing of biodegradable polymer scaffolds for tissue engineering

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Tissue Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Scaffold fabrication for tissue engineering often lacks customization due to processing limitations.
• Achieving tailored scaffold properties is crucial for effective tissue regeneration.
• Existing methods may present challenges in reproducibility and accessibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of an open-source three-dimensional printing (3DP) system for fabricating customizable tissue engineering scaffolds.
• To characterize the effects of processing parameters on poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffold morphology and mechanical properties.
• To demonstrate the potential of 3DP for accessible and reproducible scaffold development.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an open-source 3DP system to print poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffolds with uniform and gradient pore architectures.
• Characterized fiber and pore morphology, including diameter, size, and porosity.
• Investigated the impact of processing parameters such as pressure, printing speed, and fiber spacing.
• Employed a model to predict compressive mechanical properties.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated precise control over fiber diameter, pore size, and porosity by adjusting 3DP processing parameters.
• Showed that scaffold modulus and yield strength decrease with increasing porosity.
• Validated the ability to create both uniform and gradient pore architectures.
• Confirmed the correlation between processing parameters and scaffold characteristics.

Conclusions:

• Open-source 3DP offers a flexible, customizable, and cost-effective platform for tissue engineering scaffold fabrication.
• This technology enhances reproducibility and accessibility for the scientific community.
• Tailoring scaffold properties via 3DP facilitates the translation of tissue engineering strategies.