BME PhD Defense Announcement for Claudia Benito Alston (L. Solorio, advisor) Everyone is invited to attend the public presentation beginning at 2:00pm. Title: Development of a patient-specific 3D printed bone graft for enhanced alveolar ridge reconstruction: integrating finite element modeling and in vitro validation Date: October 18th Time: 2:00pm Location: MJIS 2001 Zoom Link: https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/97340950558<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpurdue-edu.zoom.us%2Fj%2F97340950558&data=05%7C02%7Cbmeroundtable-list%40ecn.purdue.edu%7C9872f3d2d4b54cd3019a08dcec8f18b2%7C4130bd397c53419cb1e58758d6d63f21%7C0%7C0%7C638645346533750550%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=hQshc1FW89dw16nL7lh1isVAgGCPuazxTGDzo86FEAA%3D&reserved=0> Committee: Dr. Luis Solorio, Chair - Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Dr. Deva Chan - Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Dr. Adrian Buganza - School of Mechanical Engineering Dr. Clark T. Barco - VA Periodontics Residency Director, Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center Abstract: Maxillofacial and oral defects originate from congenital conditions such as cleft palate, diseases such as osteosarcoma, and injuries from blasts or vehicular accidents. These defects lead to complications for the patient, including difficulty speaking, infections, as well as damaging psychological effects owing to the patient’s physical appearance. The current standard of care uses particulates of freeze-dried auto- or allograft bone covered by a titanium mesh secured in place by screws. This approach is limited by: 1) graft variability; 2) duration of the surgery; and 3) overpacking of the bone particulates, often leading to diminished bone regeneration as blood vessels may fail to form. Prior research has demonstrated the benefits of using 3D printed titanium covers that protect the particulate core. The patient specific design reduces surgical times and has more reproducible protective features than meshes fitted during surgery. However, these covers lead to an increased degree of stress shielding, since 3D printed titanium covers are thicker than the current titanium meshes on the market. Additionally, this does not address the issues that can occur with an overpacked core. To address these fallbacks, we designed a 3D printable, biodegradable, and implantable device with patient-specific shape and a porous core-cover structure. We hypothesized that a 3D printed porous cover-core bone graft, with controlled macro- and micro-porosities, would enhance infiltration and osteointegration. Finite element analysis and in vitro modeling were used to guide the design of both the cover and core components. Our results demonstrated that a polycaprolactone (PCL) cover with 1 mm pores, secured with buccal screws minimized stress shielding while providing stresses within a range that would promote osteogenesis. Additionally, we developed a hybrid core composed of methacrylated alginate, methacrylated gelatin (AlgGelMa), and tricalcium phosphate (TCP), which provided elastic properties within the range of the FEA model, promoted cell infiltration, and supported growth factor sequestration. Overall, we demonstrated the feasibility of a patient-specific resorbable osteoprotective cover with a hydrogel core that facilitates stress propagation and improves bone healing outcomes. -- Bmeroundtable-list mailing list Bmeroundtable-list@ecn.purdue.edu https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECN/mailman/listinfo/bmeroundtable-list