Repairing Broken Bones With 3D-Printed Scaffolds

When bones suffer severe damage, doctors can use a reinforcement like a titanium implant or graft a portion of bone taken from elsewhere in the body to help support it. Both choices come with complications, however, and can lead to chronic pain.

As an alternative, scientists at a company called Osteopore are trying to develop a customizable scaffold that can be inserted into the body. The idea is to encourage the body to heal the breakage on its own by giving it a solid foundation for the repair. The scaffolds are generated with 3D printing, and have already been used to help people regain mobility after experiencing serious breaks. 

The company wants to continue to improve their bone scaffolding so it can be applied in more areas, like dental reconstruction. They also want to work on other projects in 3D bioprinting.