Page 82 - Scientech 2016-17

3-D printed Bones –

the future in orthopedics

A Northwestern Engineering research team laboratory, is the paper’s first author.
has developed a 3-D printable ink that
produces a synthetic bone implant that Shah’s 3-D printed biomaterial is a mix
rapidly induces bone regeneration and of hydroxyapatite (a calcium mineral
growth. This hyperelastic “bone” material, found naturally in human bone) and a
whose shape can be easily customized, biocompatible, biodegradable polymer
one day could be especially useful for the that is used in many medical applications,
treatment of bone defects in children. including sutures. Shah’s hyperelastic
“bone” material shows great promise in
Bone implantation surgery is never an easy vivo animal models; this success lies in the
process, but it is particularly painful and printed structure’s unique properties. It’s
complicated for children. With both adults majority hydroxyapatite yet hyperelastic,
and children, often times bone is harvested robust and porous at the nano, micro and
from elsewhere in the body to replace the macro levels.
missing bone, which can lead to other
complications and pain. Metallic implants are “Porosity is huge when it comes to tissue
sometimes used, but this is not a permanent regeneration, because you want cells and
fix for growing children. blood vessels to infiltrate the scaffold,”
Shah said. “Our 3-D structure has different
“Adults have more options when it comes to levels of porosity that is advantageous for its
implants,” said Ramille N. Shah, who led the physical and biological properties.”
research. “Pediatric patients do not. If you
give them a permanent implant, you have to While hydroxyapatite has been proven
do more surgeries in the future as they grow. to induce bone regeneration, it is also
They might face years of difficulty.” notoriously tricky to work with. Clinical
products that use hydroxyapatite or other
Shah and her team aim to change the nature calcium phosphate ceramics are hard and
of bone implants, and they particularly brittle. To compensate for that, previous
want to help pediatric patients. Shah is an researchers created structures composed
assistant professor of materials science and mostly of polymers, but this shields the
engineering in Northwestern’s McCormick activity of the bioceramic. Shah’s bone
School of Engineering and of surgery in the biomaterial, however, is 90 percent by
Northwestern University Feinberg School of weight percent hydroxyapatite and just 10
Medicine. percent by weight percent polymer and still
maintains its elasticity because of the way
The new study, evaluating the material with its structure is designed and printed. The
human stem cells and within animal models, high concentration of hydroxyapatite creates
was published online September 28 by the an environment that induces rapid bone
journal Science Translational Medicine. Adam regeneration.
E. Jakus, a postdoctoral fellow in Shah’s

82 Scientech
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