Wet electro-printing of 3-D nanostructures for biomedical applications – WEPRINT

WEPRINT aims to develop new biodegradable scaffolds designed at the nanoscale for future medical applications, in particular in dental application regarding this project. The fabrication technology of the present project relies on a combination of a three-dimensional (3D) printer and wet spinning under electric field. Compared to the existing biomaterials and processes, WEPRINT project would lead to the fabrication of new scaffolds presenting more suitable mechanical properties and functionalization for future needs as medical devices. This new generation of biodegradable architectures will be nanostructured and contain a large and adjustable porosity at the microscale in order to facilitate the cell invasion and proliferation. It is thus possible to combine a high surface to volume ratio, a high cell proliferation rate and adequate mechanical properties, with a fast production of 3D biodegradable structures. One of the major interests of this work relies on the insertion of bioactive fillers inside the polymer filaments forming the walls of the scaffold. Three polymers with different resorption times will be used to facilitate and guide the cell invasion and proliferation from the bottom to the upper part of scaffold. At the end of the project, a multiscale hybrid resorbable scaffold will be composed of three types of polymers, each one containing at least one bioactive filler of the following ones: a cell recruiting agent (for cell proliferation) and a growth factor or inorganic nanoparticles (for cell differentiation). The project is divided in four tasks, from setup optimization to biological tests, for duration of 42 months. The stability of the raw solutions as well as the printing conditions will be investigated step by step, as described in the tasks of the project. The final task of the work is dedicated to investigate the scaffold bioactivity, including degradation time, cell cytotoxicity, antibacterial properties and cell differentiation.