3D-bioprinting of cartilage
In the Netherlands alone, there are 1.5 million people suffering from degenerative creek bone defects. As the generation continues to age, this will continue to increase. Cartilage is incapable of healing by itself. With this project, we are working towards a possibility to fix defects with 3D bioprinting.
Objective
A combined bone and cartilage defect is also called an osteochondral defect and means that there is damage to both the cartilage and the underlying bone. With the development of a regenerative, functional and personalised implant, this project aims to completely heal these deep cartilage defects. These implants will be made using a combination of several 3D bioprinting techniques.
Results
- Mechanical stable constructs corresponding to natural cartilage
- 3D bioprinting of anatomically relevant constructs;
- successful culturing of cells in these constructs.
Duration
09 January 2022 - 09 January 2026
Approach
The project is a collaboration between three universities of applied sciences, three universities and three UMCs. Of the cooperation between HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht and UMC Utrecht, we focus on the development of 3D printing techniques to realise the cartilage implants.
