Fabrication of titanium lattice structures by selective laser melting for osteochondral tissue regeneration

Abstract

Reconstruction of damaged osteochondral tissue at skeletal joints has remained a significant challenge due to their complex structure and multiple tissue segments including articular cartilage, subchondral bone and interfacial tissues. The aim of this study is to design, optimize and characterize an osteochondral scaffold produced via combination of collagen hydrogel and titanium scaffold fabricated using selective laser melting. The development of titanium lattice scaffolds with distinct cartilage and bone phases which has the potential to match the structural and mechanical requirements of osteochondral tissue regeneration are reported.