Using 3D printing technology to develop architecturally-controlled synthetic bone substitutes. With the ageing population, there is increasing demand for synthetic materials that can regenerate bone. However, purely synthetic bone-substitute biomaterials cannot regenerate large bone defects in weight-bearing conditions due to their fragility. This project aims to develop a customisable, biodegradable, biocompatible and mechanically strong and tough scaffold that overcomes this long-standing prob ....Using 3D printing technology to develop architecturally-controlled synthetic bone substitutes. With the ageing population, there is increasing demand for synthetic materials that can regenerate bone. However, purely synthetic bone-substitute biomaterials cannot regenerate large bone defects in weight-bearing conditions due to their fragility. This project aims to develop a customisable, biodegradable, biocompatible and mechanically strong and tough scaffold that overcomes this long-standing problem. The project aims to achieve this by applying an innovative combination of cutting-edge 3D printing technology, advanced computational modelling and design techniques to produce a next-generation bioceramic scaffold with optimised architecture. This approach aims also to enable the possibility of producing custom-made implants for individual requirements.Read moreRead less
Engineering a physiologically-relevant blood vessel in vitro . The project will develop an in vitro blood vessel model which will mimic arterial conditions by incorporating vascular cells and silk conduits as scaffolds, for the first time. This approach will overcome the limitations of simplistic 2D cell cultures, the long maturation times of fully tissue-engineered vessels, and resource intensive animal models. The innovative bioengineered construct proposed builds on the CI’s significant advan ....Engineering a physiologically-relevant blood vessel in vitro . The project will develop an in vitro blood vessel model which will mimic arterial conditions by incorporating vascular cells and silk conduits as scaffolds, for the first time. This approach will overcome the limitations of simplistic 2D cell cultures, the long maturation times of fully tissue-engineered vessels, and resource intensive animal models. The innovative bioengineered construct proposed builds on the CI’s significant advances in materials and surface engineering and the Partner Organisation’s (Codex Research) new bioreactor platform. It will offer a solution for modelling of native vessel processes in vitro that would be more appropriate for pre-clinical drug and device development, and in the long-term, tissue replacement.Read moreRead less
Mechanical advantage: biomimetic artificial muscles for micro-machines. This project will develop better ways to operate miniature machines by copying the way that muscle operates in Nature. The outcome will be important for portable devices like digital cameras that need small, efficient motors. The artificial muscles developed in this project may also be used in medical prosthetics and more agile robots.