Development of graphene containing 3D printed scaffolds for orthopaedic applications

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There is a huge unmet need for millions of people worldwide who suffer bone loss due to injury, infection, disease, or abnormal skeletal development for substitute bone that can seamlessly incorporate itself into the body.Synthetic materials that can mimic the bone architecture at the micro and macro-scale as alternative bone graft substitutes eliminate risks of donor site morbidity and infection, while being readily available. Substrate intrinsic characteristics such as chemistry, nanotopography and mechanical properties can induce adult stem cell differentiation towards specific lineages. For bone cell growth, vascularization and extracellular matrix deposition stiff 3D porous scaffolds that mimic the bone tissue microenvironment are needed, which traditional methods such as freeze-drying and salt-leaching cannot produce. 3D printing (additive manufacturing), due to a uniform deposition of material according to a computer aided design, can seamlessly control size, density and pore interconnectivity therefore produce patient tailored architectures.