At the TERMIS student conference in Nov 2021, Ph.D. student Na HUANG, supervised by Prof. Elmer KER and in collaboration with Prof. Kenneth LEE and Dr. John Lee, presented her findings on A 3D-Printed Scaffold with Energy Dissipation Design for Auricular Reconstruction. External ear (auricular) reconstruction for congenital microtia and other ear trauma remains a significant challenge in facial plastic surgery. The current gold standard requires transplantation of autologous rib cartilage, which entails donor site morbidity along with other potential complications while implantation of synthetic clinical grafts (e.g., high-density polyethylene Medpor) may be prone to fracture during activities such as sports. This highlight a need for novel auricular scaffolds that are mechanically robust and able to integrate with host tissue for favourable long-term outcomes. Na’s research addresses this issue by developing a novel three dimensional (3D) printable biomaterial that is flexible and strong as well as bioactive. Her study demonstrates that her 3D-printed biomaterial exhibits a unique capability to reduce stress as well as support growth of auricular-like elastic cartilage. This work shows promise in generation of novel mechanically robust and bioactive auricular scaffolds for ear reconstruction.
