DEVELOPMENT OF PCL/Mg ALLOYS BIOCOMPOSITES FOR 3D PRINTING OF SCAFFOLDS APPLIED IN BONE TISSUE ENGINEERING

• Grant number: 25/10868-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Lidiane Cristina Costa
• Grantee: Ana Carolina Dornelas Moreira
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/03157-7 - Additive manufacturing of bioactive composites for tissue engineering, AP.PNGP.PI

Abstract

Bone fractures, characterized by loss of bone continuity, are a very common problem in society. In cases where bone self-regeneration does not occur satisfactorily, surgical intervention becomes necessary. In these situations, some of the possible treatments include bone grafting - which faces challenges such as the risk of injury and the possibility of needing additional surgery - and the use of biocompatible metallic materials, such as prostheses, which can cause atrophy of the surrounding bone, since the cartilage modulus of the metal is greater than that of the bone. In view of this, tissue engineering has stood out by developing synthetic biological materials that aid in the cellular regeneration of living tissues. In this sense, one of the proposed solutions is the development of scaffolds, which are structures that mimic the extracellular matrix and the morphology of bone tissue, manufactured from biocompatible, biodegradable and bioactive materials. The objective of this work is to develop a composite material, based on PCL, a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer, with the inclusion of metallic magnesium fillers, which provide bioactivity to the PCL matrix. From this biocomposite, scaffolds will be produced, printed via additive manufacturing, which will be characterized by mechanical, biocompatibility and in vitro bioactivity tests, in order to evaluate the cytotoxicity and bone regeneration potential of the material for the different percentages of incorporated Mg. This scientific initiation project will be linked to the development of Project 2022/03157-7 - Additive manufacturing of bioactive composites for tissue engineering.