An academic, clinical and industrial update on electrospun, additive manufactured and imprinted medical devices

Abstract

Electrospinning, additive manufacturing and imprint lithography scaffold fabrication technologies have attracted great attention in biomedicine, as they allow production of two- and three- dimensional constructs with tuneable topographical and geometrical features. In vitro data demonstrate that electrospun and imprinted substrates offer control over permanently differentiated and stem cell function. Advancements in functionalisation strategies have further enhanced the bioactivity and reparative capacity of electrospun and additive manufactured devices, as has been evidenced in several preclinical models. Despite this overwhelming success in academic setting, only a few technologies have reached the clinic and only a fraction of them have become commercially available products.

Current progress in application of polymeric nanofibers to tissue engineering

“…Several companies have made significant technical progress in this field, but none of the products have yet been approved from the FDA [152, 153]. For instance, Nicast developed a vascular access graft, AVflo™, prepared from polycarbonate-urethane and silicone with multilayered electrospun configuration [154]. Zeus ® produced an electrospun PTFE graft named Bioweb™ with application in scaffolding, stent encapsulation, and implantable structures in the body [155].…”

Fused filament printing of specialized biomedical devices: a state-of-the art review of technological feasibilities with PEEK

“…Despite various clinical successes of the technology as aforementioned and outlined in references (Cui et al, 2012;Giannopoulos et al, 2016;Lee et al, 2011;Ozbolat and Yu, 2013), there are some studies which have countered the merits of 3DP. For instance, in Abarrategi et al (2012), Bartlett (2013) and Ryan et al (2015), it has been highlighted that besides the ultimate level of the customization executed, the 3D scaffold's therapeutic potential is questionable because of the negligible bone formation in ectopic and orthotopic models. Moreover, reasonable 3DP technologies have already obtained approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), USA (FDA tackles opportunities, challenges, of 3D printed medical devices, 2014; Turksen and Turksen, 2018); however, fulfilling the demands and regulatory conditions set by FDA cannot be guaranteed (Ursan et al, 2013).…”

Electrospun Polymers in Cartilage Engineering—State of Play

“…This limited technology transfer from benchtop to large animal models and to clinical setting may be attributed to scalability and infrastructure costs required to produce reproducible fibers (e.g., controlled temperature/humidity chambers, automated systems, variable collectors, multi-syringe systems). Considering though that electrospun scaffolds have started becoming commercially and clinically available (Ryan et al, 2015), we believe that in the years to come they will also be assessed in cartilage engineering. We also believe that in the years to come electrospun scaffolds together with other in vitro microenvironment modulators will play a crucial role in the development of functional cell therapies for cartilage engineering.…”