Lego-inspired bone and soft tissue repair with tiny, 3D-printed bricks

Inspired by Lego blocks, these small 3-D printed hollow bricks serve as scaffolding onto which both hard and soft tissue can regrow better than today’s standard regeneration methods, according to new research published in Advanced Materials. Each brick is 1.5 millimeters cubed, or roughly the size of a small flea.

When stacked together, the microcages are designed to repair broken bones better than today’s methods. Orthopaedic surgeons typically repair more complex bone fractures by implanting metal rods or plates to stabilize the bone and then inserting bio-compatible scaffolding materials packed with powders or pastes that promote healing.

A unique advantage of this new scaffolding system is that its hollow blocks can be filled with small amounts of gel containing various growth factors that are precisely placed closest to where they are needed. The study found growth factor-filled blocks placed near repaired rat bones led to about three times more blood vessel growth than conventional scaffolding material.

Read more at OHSU

Image Credit: OHSU

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