High resolution, multi-material deposition of tissue engineering scaffolds

The next generational change in health treatment will be the tailoring of artificial implants in combination with a patient's own cells to replace diseased or damaged tissues and organs. There will also be development in drug research through the creation of complex tissue models in vitro that mimic certain body systems. With these models we will be able to reduce the need for animal testing and provide a deeper understanding of the impact of drugs on cell function. To undertake these changes, one requires a fabrication technique that can accommodate a wider choice of biomaterials, combined with delivery of complexity in terms of feature size, structure and functionalities. This project aims to develop a new biomaterial fabrication technique which can process different material elements into a sizable scaffold in a controllable, scalable manner. The configuration will be tailored to fit the ultimate reaction kinetics of the biomaterial. This technique will exhibit (a) a sub-micron printing resolution of fibrous structures (vs. tens of micron of the existing 3-D printing), (b) ability to co-print both fibrous components and interstitial gel components, (c) suitability for scaled-up fabrication of a vast biomaterial library without needing to modify the native material chemistry. Ultimately, this new biomaterial fabrication technique will enable the reproducible, automated creation of multi-functional biomaterial scaffolds to support soft tissue regeneration. It is believed that the proposed technique will facilitate the fabrication of personalised scaffold parts, thus enabling more effective treatment available to the general public.

Biomaterial-based tissue engineering has made significant impact on people's lives. Examples are as demonstrated with skin grafts for burn victims reducing scarring and improving healing, orthopaedic implants dramatically improving the mobility of patients, and tissue grafts for regenerating bladder functions. The global tissue engineering market is projected to be approximately £18 billion by 2020, which doubles the current (2014) market value of £9 billion. To improve the treatment outcome, and also to tackle difficult applications such as growing tissue organ transplants, innovation in tissue engineering has to be made. As stated in the EPSRC Healthcare grant challenges, enabling technologies for regenerative medicine, and patient specific treatment are two of the key areas where research inputs will generate significant impact. In this project, the technology developed will enable the deposition of a versatile range of biomaterials of mixed properties for personalised treatments. This capability is currently not adequately supported by existing fabrication technologies. The development of the proposed new biomaterial fabrication method will potentially open new avenues to tailored implants and the creation of more informative drug testing technologies. This will provide the next step change in current healthcare technologies.

For the ultimate implementation of the proposed instrumentation, its design concept will facilitate its use in a hospital setting. This attribute can greatly reduce the problems associated with preservation of the tissue scaffold from the manufacturing site to the point of use. The potential reduction in lead time will also add significant benefit to the treatment outcome.

In addition to its relevance to Healthcare, the proposed work will provide a new technology added to the existing repertoire of additive manufacturing methods. Currently, the global additive manufacturing market is valued at £1 billion per year. Among this, automotives accounts for the largest share of the market since end-products can be more conveniently produced. With new technologies developed, such as the one presented in this project, additive manufacturing will generate wider impacts in other industries such as electronics, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food. This sees the potential to have improved manufacturing processes which is low-waste, energy efficient and stream-lined. This will in turn lead to improved productivity, and more environmentally friendly productions.