2026-03-11 スイス連邦工科大学ローザンヌ校（EPFL）
3D printing of scaffolds. (a) Enzyme-containing fragments are printed into a cylinder at room temperature in air (b) before being mineralized for 7 days (i, ii). (c) 3D printed Helicoprion shark tooth. 2026 EPFL SMaL CC BY SA
＜関連情報＞
- https://actu.epfl.ch/news/a-3d-printable-scaffold-to-support-fast-bone-gro-2/
- https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.202526568
酵素石灰化により形成された3Dプリント多孔質ハイドロキシアパタイト 3D-Printed Porous Hydroxyapatite Formed via Enzymatic Mineralization
Francesca Bono, Anna Puiggalí-Jou, Greta Cocchi, Mariangela Miccoli, Katharina Maniura-Weber, Marcy Zenobi-Wong, Esther Amstad
Advanced Functional Materials Published: 27 February 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202526568
ABSTRACT
Bone combines mechanical resilience with low density and the ability to repair itself when damaged. Inspired by the fascinating density-normalized mechanical properties of bone, synthetic porous hydroxyapatite (HA)-based materials have been introduced. However, their production typically involves sintering, which is energy-intensive and restricts incorporation of biologically active components. Here, we introduce an enzyme-mediated strategy to 3D print HA-based composites that become load-bearing within 7 days of mineralization through an energy-efficient room-temperature process. This is achieved by embedding alkaline phosphatase in naturally derived hydrogel microfragments that are jammed to enable direct ink writing at room temperature. To control the porosity of the mineral-based composites, we include enzyme-free fragments. The resulting scaffolds exhibit compressive strengths of 3.65 MPa (5.5 MPa g−1 cm3 specific strength) and low cytotoxicity. Through the introduction of open pores constituting up to 52 vol.% of the scaffold, we enable cells to infiltrate the scaffolds, thereby opening up new possibilities for cells to remodel them. We foresee the combination of mechanical performance, bioactivity, and energy-efficient processing to open new avenues for bone tissue engineering and mineral repair, where broken structures have the potential to bear significant loads much faster than currently available solutions do.
