Detall

Prof. PhD Lisa Elviri
Food and Drug Department, University of Parma

Resum:

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an additive manufacturing technique advancing in the field of health care as a kind of snowball effect for its potential to significantly improve several medical applications. 3D technology, biocompatible ink materials and 3D products are evolving fast to improve patient care from diagnosis to therapy.

Naturally occurring polysaccharides (i.e. alginate, chitosan, cellulose, etc.) owing to their low cytotoxicity, hydrophilicity, and mechanical properties are widely used as starting materials for medical devices, hydrogels, and nanofiber for biomedical applications in regenerative medicine. Polysaccharides can be formulated in inks and bio-inks for 3D printing to manufacture items with different geometries and dimensions, suitable for medical and pharmaceutical applications, considering the request for custom-made devices and personalized drug formulations in terms of dosage and release profiles.

A short description of the applications of 3D printed scaffolds based on natural polysaccharides in tissue engineering (skin, cartilage, and bone) will be provided.