Magdalena Dorner

Bachelor student

Investigation in printability and material properties of ADA-GEL based hydrogels incorporating inorganic bioactive glass and hydroxyapatite fillers

 

Supervisors: Hsuan-Heng Lu, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Alginate di-aldehyde – gelatin (ADA-GEL) hydrogel was reported to exhibit three-dimensional (3D) printability and high biocompatibility, and their successful applications in bone, vascular cartilage, cornea and skeletal tissue engineering (TE) were also demonstrated [1]. Incorporation of inorganic fillers into hydrogels has the potential to enhance the properties of the hydrogel, encompassing mechanical strength, degradation characteristics, mineralization behavior and interactions with cells [2]. In additional to bioactive glass, hydroxyapatite (HA) is an inorganic material, often applied in bone TE because of their bioactivity and biocompatibility [3]. Based on the given points, HA could be a potential filler added into ADA-GEL as a composite printing ink for bone tissue scaffolds. The aim of this Bachelor thesis is to characterise the printability and material properties of ADA-GEL with different types of filler, namely bioactive glass and hydroxyapatite.

[1] Thomas Distler, Kilian McDonald, Susanne Heid, Emine Karakaya, Rainer Detsch, and Aldo R.Boccaccini, Ionically and Enzymatically Dual Cross-Linked Oxidized Alginate Gelatin Hydrogels with Tunable Stiffness and Degradation Behavior for Tissue Engineering, ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering 2020, 6, 3899-3914

[2] Supachai Reakasame and Aldo R. Boccaccini, Oxidized Alginate-Based Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering Applications: A Review, Biomacromolecules 2018, 19, 3-21, DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.7b01331

[3] Yanting Han, Qianqian Wei, Pengbo Chang, Kehui Hu, Oseweuba Valentine Okoro, Amin Shavandi and Lei Nie, Three-Dimensional Printing of Hydroxyapatite Composites for Biomedical Application, . Crystals 2021, 11, 353. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11040353