Additive biomanufacturing of scaffolds for breast reconstruction

Limitations for the current clinical treatment strategies for breast reconstruction have prompted researchers and bioengineers to develop unique techniques based on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TE&RM) principles. Recently, scaffold-guided soft TE has emerged as a promising approach due to its potential to modulate the process of tissue regeneration. Herein, we utilized additive biomanufacturing (ABM) to develop an original design-based concept for scaffolds which can be applied in TE-based breast reconstruction procedures. The scaffold design addresses biomechanical and biological requirements for medium to large-volume regeneration with the potential of customization. The model is composed of two independent structural components. The external structure provides biomechanical stability to minimize load transduction to the newly formed tissue while the internal structure provides a large pore and fully interconnected pore architecture to facilitate tissue regeneration. A methodology was established to design, optimize and 3D print the external structure with customized biomechanical properties. The internal structure was also designed and printed with a gradient of pore size and a channel structure to facilitate lipoaspirated fat delivery and entrapment. A fused filament fabrication-based printing strategy was employed to print two structures as a monolithic breast implant.