Tissue Engineering and Biofabrication

Tissue engineering and biofabrication encompasses the production of replacement tissues and organs to address the patient need. It is based on additive manufacturing and uses techniques such as 3D printing to produce scaffolds upon which living cells can be placed, or bioprinting where a combination of a scaffold, living cells, gels fibres or pharmaceuticals can be printed to form live tissue.

Biofabrication is the point of convergence of engineering and biology, applying additive manufacturing techniques to personalise medicine. It is essential that all the key players collaborate in order to produce a custom device that meets the clinical need.

A tissue engineering program has seen CITRA partner with Cell and Tissue Therapy WA and the Department of Neurosurgery. This venture has culminated in a world first trial of a tissue engineered cranioplasty. A second trial is currently underway.

Of most interest is the rapidly changing area of 3D bioprinting which will revolutionise the provision of custom implant services. Highly relevant to the hospital setting is that each patient will be treated as an individual utilising their own stem cells where possible to regenerate tissue. However instead of just injecting the concentrated cells back into the patient, 3D bioprinting allows the cells to be strategically placed on an appropriate scaffold to reconstruct tissue such as skin or bone or in the future organs. Royal Perth Hospital is in an ideal position to see this come to fruition with the co-location of both CITRA and Cell and Tissue Therapy WA.