Researchers Advance 3D Printing to Aid Tissue Replacement
PULLMAN, WA—Researchers and professors in the Washington State University School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering have developed a unique scaffold on their 3D printers that can be fine-tuned to grow natural replacement skin, cartilage or other tissue. This scaffold is material that has been engineered to cause desirable cellular interactions and help form new functional tissues for medical purposes. Cells are often 'seeded' into these structures capable of supporting three-dimensional tissue formation.
"The success of this method in manufacturing functional tissues relies heavily on how well the fabricated structures mimic the native tissues," Professor Arda Gozen says. "If you want to grow cells and turn them into functional tissue, you need to match the mechanical environment of the native tissue."