3D printing techniques for creating tissue engineering scaffolds

摘要

A method for printing a three-dimensional tissue scaffold comprises printing a first layer of scaffold fibres 135 with a printer onto a base gel substrate 110 and disposing a first gel layer over the first printed layer. The method may further comprise printing a second layer of scaffold fibres over the first gel layer and further disposing a second gel layer over the second printed layer. The scaffold fibres may comprise contiguous droplets of biodegradable polymer 160 wherein the method may further comprise ejecting a plurality of droplets of a solution of a biodegradable polymer from a printer nozzle 150 to form at least one scaffold fibre during printing of the first layer. The base gel layer may comprise a gel layer disposed over a porous substrate 100 and may comprise hydrogels, naturally-derived degradable polymers and synthetic degradable polymers. Disclosed hydrogels include those formed of Matrigel (RTM), Geltrex (RTM), poly(ethylene oxide), poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(acrylic acid), agarose, alginate, chitosan, collagen, fibrin, gelatine, hyaluronic acid. Disclosed synthetic polymers include poly(glycolic acid), poly(lactic acid), poly(ε-caprolactone), polyurethanes, poly(ortho esters) poly(anhydrides_ poly(vinyl alcohol). The method may include printing a first and second sacrificial scaffold fibre and printing the first scaffold fibre between said sacrificial fibres.