Inventions and innovative technologies from around the world were showcased at IPITEx 2023 in the Thailand’s capital Bangkok. The invention ‘Innovative 3D printed chitosan nanocomposites’, developed by a team of scientists from the Kraków University of Technology (PK), was awarded a gold medal.

Its authors, Dr Marek Piątkowski and Krzysztof Stafin, developed the innovative bone-replacement material. The awarded solution is related to the development of highly specialised nanocomposites, which can be processed using 3D printing technology and contain compounds that support bone tissue regeneration.

“We can prepare tissue reconstruction scaffolds that are tailored to the unique needs of the patient, thus dedicated to personalised regenerative medicine. Thanks to the use of 3D printing, it is possible to prepare a model of the defect to be regenerated made on the basis of computed microtomography, and therefore with strictly defined dimensions without the need for adjustment during surgery”, explains Marek Piątkowski, MD.

Patients with bone tissue defects caused by trauma or disease are waiting for such a solution. This is because the biomaterial implanted in the defect’s place enables tissue reconstruction by supporting natural regenerative processes, while also having an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect. What is more, the material is gradually biodegradable and is replaced by healthy tissue over time. 

In the award-winning invention, one of the main active ingredients is chitosan. This is a biopolymer obtained from the carapaces of crabs, shrimps, or lobsters. It can also be obtained from mushrooms. Chitosan is therefore a material of natural origin. 

Adrian Andrzejewski