Fibrocartilage is an avascular and aneural tissue characterized by the reduced number of cells and can be found in different tissues, such as intervertebral disc (IVD) and meniscus. The current available treatments have shown poor clinical outcomes and none of them can be consensually designated as the “gold” standard treatment. Therefore, the combination of high-resolution imaging techniques (magnetic resonance imaging and micro-computed tomography) with 3D printing can be a powerful tool to closely mimic the fibrocartilaginous native tissue. This approach can provide reproducibility of the produced scaffolds and allows the production of patient-specific implants, helping to improve patient recovery time and biofunctionality reestablishment. The concept of patient specificity is explored using natural-based materials, where silk fibroin (SF) plays the central role due to its high processing versatility and remarkable mechanical properties. Indirect printed patient-specific hierarchical scaffolds were produced combining SF with ionicdoped β-tricalcium phosphates. Furthermore, using a 3D printing extrusion-based technology, an innovative SF-based bioink was developed where 3D patient-specific memory-shape implants were produced. Finally, an extrusion-based 3D printing hybrid system comprising a gellan gum/fibrinogen cell-laden bioink and a SF methacrylated bioink was developed to produce cell-laden patient-specific implants.
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