Biomaterial-Based Additive Manufactured Composite/Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine: A...

Additive manufacturing (AM), also referred to as three-dimensional printing/printed (3DP), has emerged as a transformative approach in the current design and manufacturing of various biomaterials for the restoration of damaged tissues inside the body. This advancement has greatly aided the development of customized biomedical devices including implants, prosthetics, and orthotics that are specific to the patients. In tissue engineering (TE), AM enables the fabrication of complex structures that promote desirable cellular responses in the regeneration of tissues. Since the choice of biomaterials plays a vital role in scaffold performance as well as cellular responses, meticulous material selection is essential in optimizing the functionality of scaffolds. These scaffolds often possess certain characteristics such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, biomimicry, and porous structure. To this end, polymers such as chitosan, collagen, alginate, hyaluronic acid, polyglycolic acid, polylactic acid, and polycaprolactone have been extensively investigated in the fabrication of tissue-engineered scaffolds. Furthermore, combinations of biomaterials are also utilized to further enhance the scaffolds' performance and functionality. This review discusses the principle of AM and explores recent advancements in AM technologies in the development of TE and regenerative medicine. In addition, the applications of 3DP, polymer-based scaffolds will be highlighted.