JBNU Ph.D. candidate Ilwon Seo (Department of Bionanotechnology and Bio-Convergence Engineering, supervised by Professor Cheolsaeng Kim) and Research Assistant Professor Se-rim Jang (Division of Mechanical Design Engineering) have developed a 3D scaffold for bone tissue regeneration using a newly synthesized bioceramic. 

These findings were published online in the current issue of Chemical Engineering Journal (IF = 15.1, top 3.5% worldwide) under the title 'Flower-like Ti(HPO4)2 bioceramic-laden 3D printed platform for enhanced bone regeneration via BMP signaling pathway.' The print issue is scheduled for publication in May.

Recently, research has actively pursued the synthesis of safe, highly bioactive bioceramics and their application to medical devices, as well as the industrial application of new biomaterials through surface modification.

In particular, bioceramic materials are widely used in orthopedic implants such as artificial joints, and new materials are prioritized in clinical research. However, developing novel bioceramics that simultaneously offer excellent biological stability and biocompatibility remains an unresolved challenge.

The JBNU research team synthesized titanium sulfate using a new precursor to overcome the limitations of previously developed bioceramics. They then succeeded in synthesizing a flower-like titanium phosphate bioceramic via an ion-exchange technique.

The newly synthesized flower-like titanium phosphate bioceramic exhibited high bioactivity due to its large surface area and amorphous structure, and was fabricated into a bio-scaffold using 3D printing techniques.

The developed 3D scaffold promoted the BMP signaling pathway in human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs), inducing cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation, and demonstrated excellent bone tissue regeneration effects.