Design of scaffolds with computer assistance

Advanced rapid prototyping techniques are being used to fabricate scaffolds for tissue engineering with controlled architecture. These techniques combine computer-aided design with bio-manufacturing tools to produce 3D structures in a multitude of materials. These scaffolds must be biocompatible, biodegradable, with appropriate porosity, pore structure and distribution, having both surface and structural compatibility. Structural compatibility of the host tissue corresponds to an optimal adaptation to the scaffold mechanical behaviour, referring to its mechanical properties and deformation capability. This paper proposes a computer tool to predict the mechanical behaviour of scaffolds with different topological architectures and levels of porosity. The influence of the interaction between biofluids and the scaffold is also presented.