KNEE TISSUE REGENERATED WITH 3D PRINTED SCAFFOLD

Columbia Researchers Successfully Regenerate Meniscus with 3D Printed implant

Researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have successfully implanted 3D printed knee tissue in sheep. The team at Columbia 3D printed a scaffold using a biocompatible material and then grew the meniscal tissue cells on it, which is a technique that could also work with humans. Millions of people in the US alone suffer damaged menisci, which can lead to arthritis. Small tears to the meniscus can usually be stitched up, but large tears often result in the removal of the tissue, which leaves the knee with no shock absorbing barrier between the femur and tibia. Sheep have a similar type of knee structure to humans, so make useful candidates.

According to the study’s leader Jeremy Mao, the Edwin S. Robinson Professor of Dentistry (in Orthopedic Surgery) at the Medical Center “We envision that personalized meniscus scaffolds, from initial MRI to 3D printing, could be completed within days.” The personalized scaffolds would then be sent to hospitals and clinics to be implanted in the patient’s knee. The team’s work is just another example of the advances being made in 3D printing, let’s hope it won’t be too long before we see patients receiving 3D printed menisci. The Columbia team used a 3D-Bioplotter by EnvisionTEC to print the scaffold.