Bone Ink for 3-D Printers
November 8, 2016 | Terry Sharrer
In 3-D bioprinting, it’s more a matter of the ink than of the printer that opens new possibilities, as this piece illustrates. Engineers at Northwestern University have created an ink of hydroxyapatite (90%) and either of two biocompatible/biodegradable polymers (polycaprolactone or poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) to make a hyperelastic bone that could be printed in any shape (as an imaging scan would indicate). The resulting synthetic bone was porous, allowing cells and blood to eventually replace the prosthetic, and antibiotics could be added to the ink for anti-infection action. MORE
Image Credit: Northwestern Research News