Each year, around four million people worldwide develop a bone infection following an open fracture or surgery. The gold standard treatment comprises a lengthy antibiotic therapy, usually delivered orally or intravenously, and the removal of infected bone tissue. This often leaves behind a hole too large for the body to fill via normal bone regeneration.
To tackle this, a group of researchers from the Netherlands, Italy and Spain outlined a novel treatment approach they have developed – antibiotic-releasing and biodegradable 3D-printed scaffolds, capable of supporting bone regeneration and delivering antibiotics at the same time.
“Every person has their own individual body anatomy, which certainly requires a specific intervention in the event of bone injury,” explained Lorenzo Moroni, professor in bio-fabrication for regenerative medicine at Maastricht University’s MERLN institute in the Netherlands.
“3D-printed polymeric scaffolds possess several unique...