Celia Marcos García-Mochales

Visiting student (Francisco de Vitoria University, Madrid, Spain)

Bioactive Glass Scaffolds for Bone Regeneration

This project focuses on the development of bioactive glass (BG) scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications. BGs are well known for their ability to bond to bone tissue through the formation of a hydroxycarbonate apatite (HCA) layer on their surface, which enables strong interfacial bonding with living bone and stimulates osteogenic cell activity. In addition, the controlled release of ionic dissolution products promotes bone regeneration and enhances cellular responses [1].

In bone tissue engineering, scaffolds act as three-dimensional porous templates designed to support cell attachment, proliferation, vascularization, and new tissue formation. An ideal scaffold should exhibit high porosity (typically around 90%), interconnected pore networks, suitable mechanical properties, and controlled biodegradability to match the rate of new bone formation. These structural features are essential to mimic the hierarchical architecture of natural bone and to ensure effective tissue integration [2].

The main objective of this project is to design and fabricate three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffolds with appropriate structural properties. The scaffolds will be produced using additive manufacturing (3D printing) and the polymer foam replication method [3], a well-established technique that enables the fabrication of highly porous glass-derived structures with bone-like architecture. The scaffolds will be characterized in terms of final porosity, mechanical performance, and bioactive behavior.

[1] Brauer, D. S. (2015). Bioactive glasses—Structure and properties. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 54(14), 4160–4181. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201405310

[2] Baino, F., Fiume, E., Barberi, J., Kargozar, S., Marchi, J., Massera, J., & Verné, E. (2019). Processing methods for making porous bioactive glass-based scaffolds—A state-of-the-art review. International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijac.13195

[3] Chen, Q. Z., Thompson, I. D., & Boccaccini, A. R. (2006). 45S5 Bioglass®-derived glass–ceramic scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. Biomaterials, 27(11), 2414–2425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2005.11.025