WP14 – Bio.ScafAM

The replacement, regeneration or repair of a tissue or organ due to aging, disease, accidents and birth defects continues to be a problem worldwide. Transplantation is the most common approach to deal with this problem; however, there are high costs associated with it and the need of health professionals with high level of specialization.

The techniques associated with tissue or organ transplants are complex and present several limitations, including the difficulty in finding compatible donors, which results in extensive waiting lists, the high proportion of rejection by the recipient and the morbidity it exerts over the living donor.

Tissue Engineering emerges as a promising approach for the regeneration of organs and tissues, through the culture of the patient’s own cells in biological substitutes (scaffolds) and implantation in the patient for the regeneration of new tissue.

Implementing this technique, as to the development of biological substitutes capable of mimicking the properties of the organ/tissue to be regenerated, is in constant evolution. However, there are still many gaps to be filled from the point of view of development and application of these substitutes, due to the complexity involved in the entire process of regenerating a new tissue through the combination of cells, materials and growth factors.

Many strategies have been researched to produce scaffolds capable of providing biomechanical support for cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. These substitutes must be biocompatible, biodegradable, with a controlled degradation rate and must have high porosity to allow a correct system vascularization.

Since the problems have been identified, the development of a biomanufacturing system that is capable of meeting the needs of healthcare professionals for use in the context of a medical laboratory will allow the consolidation of the applicability of 3D printing systems in the medical field.

The biomanufacturing equipment to be developed within the scope of the project will enable the production of temporary implants in a hospital environment, through the reinvention of biomanufacturing technologies. The system will provide innovative tools, developed by experts in engineering, design and biomaterials, with the aim of building compact and functional equipment for the user.