Project Plan & Gantt Chart

Reconstruction and Printing: More specific data lies in the attached Gantt chart about the daily plans for the rest of the project, but generally speaking, there are several steps that need to be completed. First, we hope to, before we return for the Spring Semester, have our MATLAB algorithm correctly tested for healthy skulls and skulls with defects of varying sizes. With this task complete, we will the focus on exporting the files to SOLIDWORKS, so optimal porosity can be designed into the scaffold. Next, this 3D reconstructed scaffold will be printed with a PCL-based polymer in a high-resolution printer from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics. After we have a proof-of-feasibility scaffold printed, we will then work on the model skulls that we will purchase and implant known defects. The defect will be carved into a random shape and size into the bone of the calvarium. Afterwards, we will use a CT scanner to gather axial 3D data, which we will then input into our algorithm. The same process will then be conducted to design and print the scaffold, and, finally, we will ensure the fit of the scaffold within the model skull after printing.

Biologics: Next semester will contain the bulk of the biological progress. First, we will need to produce viable filament of PCL/loaded-MSN that a 3D printer can use to print projects. Second, we will have to design a cross-sectional geometry that optimizes porosity while preserving the minimum mechanical properties. Third, we will work to seed the scaffold with a biologic loaded into the MSN and find a way to reliably seed pre-osteoblasts on the scaffold. Lastly, testing will occur to validate the properties of the scaffold to verify that the scaffold matches the specifications.

Future directions (1 page) (2 points)

o Description of next steps in implementation

o Identification of biggest challenges and areas where things “might go wrong”  How will these be handled?

o Post-Penn possibilities. If you had the opportunity to pitch your idea to investors, how would a $100,000 investment be used to translate and expand your Senior Design idea next year, after your graduation in May?

Future Directions:

Many of the details have been specifically addressed in Project Plan, but there are several major steps in design implementation that have yet to be discussed. Although we have been in contact with many professors and doctors about gaining access to equipment, we have yet to officially been granted time with CT scanners and 3D printers. Thus, we will continue to be in contact with these faculty to ensure that we are able to use the machines at the earliest convenience to them. For reconstruction, specifically, we must also purchase several model skulls that a physiologically accurate, so we can implant the defect and place the skull inside a CT scanner to obtain 3D data for our reconstruction efforts.

In terms of biologics, we need to be able to test different methods of producing the PCL/MSN filament that works best with the 3D printers available through the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics and the Ducheyne and Burdick labs. We will produce multiple cross-sectional geometries, and test each type of scaffold to characterize mechanical and biological properties for each type. These two steps will allow us to proceed with producing the best scaffold for our specifications which we can then use to provide solution for a pre-determined defect. Issues may arise with the development of the filament for the printers and in producing the best geometry for the scaffold, but our team will handle these by testing multiple methods and working in conjunction with experts in the Burdick and Ducheyne lab to produce a viable option.

This project has applications beyond calvarial defects for a large patient population. Given funding of $100,000, the project could streamline its MatLab software to produce an algorithm with excellent precision, purchase more supplies and biologics, and begin in vivo testing so that the product can begin to move towards eventual FDA approval as a treatment for all craniofacial defects.