Rapid Prototyping for the Engineering of Osteochondral Tissues

The reconstruction of complex joints represents one of the major challenges in Tissue Engineering, whose aim is to realize bioactive 3D grafts interacting with the articular environment while providing structural and mechanical functionality. Due to the complex hierarchical structure and the co-existence of several architectural organizations of natural articular tissue, a series of chemical-physical-biological features have to be carefully controlled and defined for a best tuning of the mechanical and functional properties of osteochondral tissues. However, the control over scaffold architecture using conventional manufacturing techniques is highly process dependent rather than design dependent. As a result, in the last years Rapid Prototyping (RP) techniques are proposed as promising alternative for 3D porous scaffolds fabrication, opening the possibility to realize engineered grafts with defined and reproducible complex internal structures, for an enhanced cellular response in vivo; moreover, implantable personalized articular tissue materials may be created individually for each patient according to the orthopedic requirements. In this Chapter, we will expose the major RP-based techniques, among them laser-, nozzled- and printed-based RP methods, with particular reference to the most cogent works in the field of joints repair.