Czech scientists test 3D-printed joint implant that heals while it works
Czech researchers are developing a custom-made, 3D-printed implant with a porous structure that can be infused with drugs and release them gradually over time. To support the project, the Prague team has acquired a state-of-the-art 3D metal printer. Czech patients could soon receive joint implants that not only replace damaged joints but also deliver medication directly into the body.
That’s the goal of a project being developed by researchers at the University of Chemistry and Technology (UCT) in Prague, together with doctors from Motol University Hospital. At the heart of the research is a custom-made titanium implant produced on one of the country’s most advanced 3D metal printers.
Researcher Jiří Kubásek explains how the machine functions while it works on printing a knee implant.
‚It's an extremely precise machine when it comes to fine detail. It can be used to produce a variety of porous structures that mimic, for example, natural bone tissue.’
The process begins with a computer model, which is divided into hundreds or even thousands of layers. The printer spreads a thin layer of titanium powder, before a laser fuses it into shape. It then repeats the process over and over again until the implant is complete.
For a knee implant, that means around 1,300 layers, and the entire print takes roughly ten and a half hours.
According to Kubásek, the porous structure is what makes the technology so promising.
“Bone tissue isn’t solid. It’s naturally porous, which allows body fluids to circulate through it. The pores are only tens to hundreds of micrometres wide, and this printer allows us to recreate structures of exactly that scale.”
The tiny pores do more than help the implant integrate with the surrounding bone. They can also be filled with medication before surgery.
Professor Dalibor Vojtěch, who leads part of the research, demonstrates several different titanium implants designed for the hip, shoulder and ankle. He says the porous nature of the structure encourages bone re-growth and serves as a reservoir for drugs tailored to individual patients.
The main task now is to find a carrier material that is completely safe for the body and breaks down slowly and at a precisely controlled rate. Vojtěch demonstrates an example, a small white implant resembling a pill.
In this particular case, the implant is impregnated with a material based on sulphates, phosphates and silver, which has antibacterial properties. It also contains the antibiotic vancomycin, which acts as a barrier against post-operative infections."
If the technology proves successful, future artificial joints could do much more than simply replace damaged bone. They could also provide targeted treatment as patients recover, reducing the risk of infection and delivering medicine exactly where it’s needed.
