Skip to main content
< Back to news
Dr Elisabeth Engel, head of the Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies group (Photo: IBEC).
 06.09.2018

IBEC joins with Avinent to create prostheses that become real bone

Advances in 3D bioprinted prostheses that are truly incorporated into the body –with their own blood vessels and sensitivity– are becoming increasingly more remarkable. This has been demonstrated by Avinent Implant System and the Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies group led by Elisabeth Engell at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), that are jointly developing an ambitious project to create 3D printed pieces from biomaterials.

 

Wearing a prosthesis that is truly incorporated into the body, one that not only disintegrates over time, but also naturally promotes the regeneration of the patient’s real bone, is now a reality thanks to the joint work of two entities based in the Barcelona Science Park: Avinent Implant System and IBEC.

The Avinent company has proven experience in designing and creating customized solutions for the medical dental sector using digital technology, and IBEC has a long history in the manufacture of materials for repairing and regenerating bone tissue. By joining together their know-how, the two organizations have first managed to digitally reconstruct the defect or bone fracture and then to select the most suitable biomaterial to print the prosthesis with the IBEC’s 3D bioprinter, which is the only one offering the level of precision and characteristics requred for regenerative medicine purposes in southern Europe.

These biomaterials comprise polymers and nanoparticles that are provided with the necessary porosity through 3D printing for the patient’s cells to circulate and colonize the area by promoting the regeneration of damaged tissue. This means that the prostheses are made of a material that not only gradually disappears, but also promotes the regeneration of the patient’s bone tissue. Bioactive nanoparticles act as an attraction point, calling on cells to migrate to the affected area and repopulate it. The prosthesis becomes the patient’s own bone after three years, with its blood vessels and sensitivity.

As Avinent R&D Manager Anna Cortina points out: “The fact that the patient can wear a piece that degrades and does not have to think about a second operation or future complications is a major leap forward. Sometimes, titanium prostheses, for example, cause the surrounding bone not to regenerate as optimally. This will not happen with 3D printed parts made from bioactive nanoparticles.”

Dr. Elisabeth Engel, director of IBEC’s Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies group, explains: “This solution represents a complete paradigm shift as regards the use of metallic prostheses, which do not promote tissue regeneration, but rather permanently replace the damaged area.”

Avinent and IBEC have so far demonstrated the success of bioprinted pieces on a chicken embryo membrane, a fertilized egg membrane; the next step is to see how they respond in mice. The first decisive step towards the creation of personalized bioactive products will be applied in the cranio-maxillofacial field, but given the scalability of 3D printed biomaterial production, the partnership between both organizations aims to expand its field of application, developing and manufacturing solutions for other parts of the human body.