3D Scaffolds in the Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers: New Trends vs Conventional Approaches

The treatment strategy required for the effective healing of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a com-plex process that is requiring several combined therapeutic approaches. As a result, there is sig-nificant clinical and economic burden associated in treating DFU. Furthermore, these treatments are often unsuccessful, commonly resulting in lower-limb amputation. The use of drug-loaded scaffolds to treat DFU has previously been investigated using electrospinning and Fused Deposi-tion Modeling (FDM) 3D printing techniques; however, the rapidly evolving field of bioprinting is creating new opportunities for innovation within this research area. In this study, a 3D bi-oprinted bilayer window scaffold has been fabricated for the delivery of an antibiotic to DFU. The first layer (frame) of the scaffold was fully characterised, demonstrating excellent mechanical properties and providing sustained drug release for 4 weeks. Given the bilayer nature of this scaffold, a dual loading of therapeutics through future inclusion of biologics into the second layer (window) has also been proposed. This proof of concept study demonstrates the innovative po-tential of bioprinting technologies in fabrication of bilayer scaffolds, which creates the oppor-tunity to meet multiple treatment targets simultaneously while significantly reducing treatment costs.