Editing Tissue engineering (section)

====CAD/CAM technologies====
Because most of the above techniques are limited when it comes to the control of porosity and pore size, [[Computer-aided design|computer assisted design]] and [[Computer-aided manufacturing|manufacturing]] techniques have been introduced to tissue engineering. First, a three-dimensional structure is designed using CAD software. The porosity can be tailored using algorithms within the software.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Melchels F, Wiggenhauser PS, Warne D, Barry M, Ong FR, Chong WS, Hutmacher DW, Schantz JT |display-authors=6 |title=CAD/CAM-assisted breast reconstruction |journal=Biofabrication |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=034114 |date=September 2011 |pmid=21900731 |doi=10.1088/1758-5082/3/3/034114 |url=https://eprints.qut.edu.au/46842/15/46842.pdf |bibcode=2011BioFa...3c4114M|s2cid=206108959 }}</ref> The scaffold is then realized by using ink-jet printing of polymer powders or through [[Fused Deposition Modeling]] of a polymer melt.<ref name=Elisseeff05>{{cite book| vauthors=Elisseeff J, Ma PX |title=Scaffolding in Tissue Engineering |publisher=CRC |location=Boca Raton |date=2005 |isbn=978-1-57444-521-3}}</ref>

A 2011 study by El-Ayoubi et al. investigated "3D-plotting technique to produce ([[biocompatible]] and [[biodegradable]]) poly-L-Lactide macroporous scaffolds with two different pore sizes" via solid free-form fabrication (SSF) with computer-aided-design (CAD), to explore therapeutic [[articular cartilage]] replacement as an "alternative to conventional tissue repair".<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite journal | vauthors = Lee GY, Kenny PA, Lee EH, Bissell MJ | title = Three-dimensional culture models of normal and malignant breast epithelial cells | journal = Nature Methods | volume = 4 | issue = 4 | pages = 359–65 | date = April 2007 | pmid = 17396127 | pmc = 2933182 | doi = 10.1038/nmeth1015 }}</ref> The study found the smaller the pore size paired with mechanical stress in a bioreactor (to induce in vivo-like conditions), the higher the cell viability in potential therapeutic functionality via decreasing recovery time and increasing transplant effectiveness.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>