Funding entity Universidad Pontificia Comillas
The repair of bone tissue when defects occur has led to extensive research over many years. So far, the most commonly used solution has been autografts, a technique that involves using the patient’s own bone tissue to repair the defect. However, this method has many disadvantages, such as the need for a second surgery, damage to the donor site, or a limited amount of donor bone.
Currently, an alternative to autografts for bone repair in cases of irregular or large defects has been found. This alternative is known as scaffolds, which are structures with high interconnected porosity that promote cell proliferation and differentiation, leading to bone tissue regeneration. The use of 3D printing techniques like stereolithography for their fabrication is of great interest because it offers excellent control over geometry, pore size, and porosity. However, to date, commercially available photocurable resins are classified at most as Class VI, which limits their use to external or temporary contact with biological tissue.
The main objective of this research project is to improve the biological properties of a photocurable resin through cold plasma treatment to be used as a scaffold for bone regeneration. This plasma treatment has shown that it can modify the surface energy of materials and, therefore, their wettability. In general, polymeric materials have low surface energy, which results in low cell adhesion due to poor wettability. The ability of cells to adhere to the surface is a critical parameter for the growth, proliferation, and differentiation of preosteoblasts, which will differentiate to form bone tissue.
Layman's summary: The repair of bone defects has traditionally relied on autografts, but these have disadvantages, such as the need for a second surgery. An alternative is scaffolds, porous structures that promote bone regeneration. This project aims to improve a photocurable resin for scaffolds using cold plasma treatment, thereby enhancing cell adhesion necessary for bone regeneration.
Techniques employed: 3D printing, Cold plasma treatment, Cell culture
