Synergizing additive manufacturing and machine learning for advanced hydroxyapatite scaffold design in bone regeneration

Additive manufacturing (AM) methods have sparked interest within the tissue engineering domain due to their adaptability and capacity to fabricate constructs featuring intricate macroscopic shapes and specific patterns. Recently, composite materials, characterized by distinct phases a continuous phase (matrix) and a reinforcing phase (filler)—have emerged as viable inks for AM processes, enabling the creation of scaffolds with enhanced biomimetic and bioactive properties. Notably, significant attention has been directed towards hydroxyapatite (HA)-reinforced composites, particularly for bone tissue engineering applications, leveraging HA’s chemical resemblance to native mineralized tissue components. This review delves into the utilization of AM techniques for processing HA-reinforced composites and biocomposites to fabricate scaffolds embedded with biological matrices, including cellular tissues. It examines recent research findings concerning the morphological, structural, and in vitro/in vivo biological characteristics of these materials. The review also categorizes the approaches based on the matrix nature used to incorporate HA reinforcements and fabricate tissue substitutes, offering a critical analysis of the current state of research and future prospects. This comprehensive overview aims to elucidate the strategies explored and challenges faced in this evolving field of materiomics.