Schlagwort: 3D printing in medicine

When Matej Vlašič was told that his son, Nik, who is afflicted with cerebral palsy, may never sit up, he began looking for a way to give him the best life possible regardless. With a little help from 3D printing and physical therapy, Nik cannot only sit up but also walk, cycle and dance. Vlašič has now set up aNImaKe, a company to help other parents in a similar situation.

Nik Vlašič was born prematurely with severe brain damage. His father, Matej Vlašič, was told his child may never be able to sit up. Three years later, Nik was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

However, Vlašič decided to do everything he could to provide as high a quality of life as possible for his son. He started by spending months researching how he could help Nik and found a possible answer could be lots of physical therapy and ankle foot orthoses (AFO).

The AFOs would support Nik’s weight, align his feet and condition his joints. By the time he was six, he was old enough to try them out. However, AFOs are both very expensive, take a long time to make (from fittings to fabrication) and are uncomfortable.

So, Vlašič, who is an engineer with 12 years of experience, turned to 3D printing to create a much cheaper, more comfortable solution. By using a Formlabs Form 2 SLA printer, Vlašič created 13 prototypes of comfortable AFOs.

“The lack of comfort and high price combined with all the other cons were enough that I decided to do something about it… I didn’t have the solution at that time, but I wanted to find a better way to design it. I was just trying to help my son the best possible way,” explains Vlašič.

Nik went from a Grave Prediction to Dancing with his Family

It took Vlašič half a year to perfect the AFO design and the workflow of using a Formlabs Form 2 SLA printer. However, after this time, he was able to provide Nik with orthoses which were comfortable. With this support, Nik was walking within a few days. After a few months, he was dancing.

The AFOs designed by Vlašič fit comfortably into Nik’s shoes and one pair costs less than $15. Traditionally made AFOs cost upwards of $5,000. By comparison, Vlašič’s 3D printer cost just $3,500 and Durable resin costs $175.

Vlašič did a great job in helping his son to walk, dance and even hike. So, he decided to try and help others by starting his own company, aNImaKe, to provide more families in a similar situation as himself with the technology to help their children.

Rather than having to go through the discomfort of fittings, plaster casts and quickly outgrowing expensive AFOs, it’s possible to 3D print comfortable designs. Nik, now seven-years-old, is already on his fourth pair of AFOs.

Vlašič has also been working with Gaurav Manchanda, the director of healthcare at Formlabs, whose three-year-old son was also born prematurely and diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

The two have since been working closely to tackle the issue of expensive orthotics. Manchanda explains: “Even if my son doesn’t improve from this process, we can still help millions of people around the world if this technology can scale. If we play a part in that, it’s super fulfilling.”

Source: Industry Week 

Website: LINK

Researchers from MIT are using 3D printing and an art form called kirigami to make plasters which actually stick to your elbows and knees.

Everyone knows the irritation of hurting a joint, applying a plaster and it falling off just a few minutes later. If it’s not falling off, a plaster on your knee or elbow is restricting your movement. It’s a well-known truth that, whether you’ve scraped your elbow or cut your knee, plasters won’t stick unless you remain completely still.

However, researchers from MIT are using 3D printing and a paper folding art form to create working joint plasters. The method is inspired by kirigami. This art form which is based on origami but allows small cuts and glue.

The new and improved bandages can withstand over 100 joint bends as a result of the cuts.

“Currently in the soft electronics field, people mostly attach devices to regions with small deformations, but not in areas with large deformations such as joint regions, because they would detach. I think kirigami film is one solution to this problem commonly found in adhesives and soft electronics,” said Ruike Zhao, a postdoc in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and lead author of the paper.

3D Printing Meets Art to Make the Perfect Plaster

To create thin kirigami films, the researchers poured a rubber solution, called a liquid elastomer, into 3D printed molds. These molds had offset grooves and various spacings.

After the solution was cured, the researchers took the thin elastomer layers out of the molds. They then added the important cuts.
Although the researchers chose to use elastomer, they explain that it’s possible to use many different materials. For example, anything from soft polymers to hard metals.

To make the elastomer layer stick, Ruike added a thin adhesive coating. Then, she stuck it to a volunteer’s knee.

The volunteer was asked to move about and Ruike took note of how well the layer would stick. It stuck for 100 knee bends.

Although that may not sound like a lot if you’re wearing a plaster for the whole day, comparatively, a layer without slits fell off after just one bend cycle.

“In most cases, people make cuts in a structure to make it stretchable. But we are the first group to find, with a systematic mechanism study, that a kirigami design can improve a material’s adhesion,” Ruike adds.

The researchers have now filed a patent for this technique. They are also working with a medical supply company so we may soon see kirigami plasters on our shelves.

Interested in finding out more? Check out the press release on the MIT website.

Website: LINK

Dr. Tarek Loubani has designed a 3D printed stethoscope which can be made using recycled plastic in 3 hours for just $3. The device is especially useful in low-income countries which have little access to diagnostic tools.

The stethoscope still has its place in medicine. Although many Western countries rely on CT scans and ultrasound, Dr. Tarek Loubani points out that the stethoscope is a vital diagnostic tool in low-income and war-torn countries.

Loubani is an associate professor at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. He’s also an associate scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute and an emergency room physician at London Health Sciences Centre in Ontario, Canada.

Back in 2012 he was working in a hospital in Gaza where he shared a stethoscope with ten other doctors. These doctors were responsible for treating more than 100 patients. This was an impossible task and Loubani wanted to come up with a solution.

“We weren’t just low on medical supplies, but even the basics, like stethoscopes, were totally missing,” says Loubani. He wanted to find a way in which doctors could create their own supplies.

He explains that it was a toy stethoscope which gave him a light bulb moment. Although the toy was made from plastic, it worked well enough. As a result of playing with a toy, Loubani came up with the solution of an open-access template of a 3D printed stethoscope. Better yet, the medical-grade stethoscope can be made from recycled plastic.

3D Printed Stethoscope Made from Recycled Plastic in 3 Hours

The stethoscope is called the Glia model and it has now been clinically validated. Loubani used free open-source software to create the model, keeping costs to a minimum.

It’s possible to print the stethoscope using a desktop 3D printer and ABS plastic. Impressively, it takes just three hours to 3D print the stethoscope and costs under $3.

“Our product from this research is not the stethoscope, it is how to make the stethoscope and how to ensure that it is the best quality,” Loubani says.

“As far as we know this is the first open-source medical device that has been clinically validated… We wanted physicians and allied health care professionals to be able to have something that was high quality. We found that the acoustic quality was the same in our stethoscope as in a premium brand stethoscope.”

Physicians in both Gaza and London, Ontario are currently testing out the stethoscope. Next, Loubani plans to create more 3D printable medical device templates.

Want to find out more about the Glia model? The results were published in the journal PLOS ONE. Alternatively, you can download and 3D print your own stethoscope using the original files hosted on GitHub, Thingiverse and MyMiniFactory.

Source: Western News

Website: LINK

Embryo 3D offers standard and metal-plated 3D printed models of fetuses crafted from ultrasound scans.

Parents-to-be are now able to get their hands on a 3D printed model of their unborn child. Created by Embryo 3D, the process uses ultrasound scans to craft the plastic models of the fetus.

Incredibly, the printing process manages to capture even the smallest details on the hands and feet.

Ivan Gridin, head of Embryo 3D, said that the company also offers gold-plated and metal-plated versions.

Although traditionally the models were only available in plastic, they are now made using plaster models to enable metal coverings.

However, the 3D printed embryos do not just serve as memorabilia. Yuliana Recu, an expectant mum taking part in the trials described a “weird feeling” as she touched a model of her unborn child.

The idea for Embryo 3D came to Gridin when he was worried about a friend and the health of her unborn child. Already a user of 3D printing, Gridin decided to print a model from the ultrasound scan.

Therefore, the technology may also offer opportunities for medical decision-making to help parents uncover birth defects.

3D imaging technologies allow doctors and researchers to inspect fetal anatomy

Researchers in Brazil launched a 3D imaging technology in 2016 that allowed parents to view realistic images of their unborn children.

They used the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset to bring magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound scans to life. Parents could then view sharp and realistic images of the fetus instead of the traditionally blurred polaroids.

The technology layers MRI scans to create an accurate model.

Indeed, 3D models of fetuses enable researchers to gain an enhanced understanding of the anatomy of the unborn child. These can serve educational purposes, but in the future may also be utilized as part of personalized medicine packages.

The advantage of the virtual reality models is that they are more life-like. Even the internal anatomy of a fetus can be recreated to observe abnormalities.

Using the Oculus Rift 2, doctors have been able to create a more realistic environment to observe the fetal anatomy. This has also allowed them to make a better decision when it comes to the delivery and post-delivery treatments if necessary.

Source: 9news.com.au (images: Rutly)

Website: LINK

Scientists from Manchester, UK are using 3D bioprinting to investigate and better understand the brain’s neurovascular unit (NVU) which will hopefully lead to improved treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.

Currently, there are no cures for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, Parkinson’s and stroke. However, scientists from the University of Manchester, UK are using 3D bioprinting to help improve treatments.

So far, researchers know that the onset of neurodegenerative diseases is related to the dysfunction of the neurovascular unit (NVU). The NVU is composed of a vascular and a neural component. It’s vital that these two components can communicate properly. The NVU provides the brain with nutrients and oxygen while also removing harmful toxic compounds.

Therefore, the Mancunian scientists are using 3D models to mimic the NVU and investigate it more closely. To do this, they’re taking advantage of advances in 3D biomaterials such as hydrogels.

Along with the use of novel biomaterials and bio-inks, the researchers are using the 3D bioprinting method to create complex models and gain insight.

3D Bioprinting to Investigate the NVU

The 3D bioprinted models mimic interactions between the neural, vascular and extracellular matrix (ECM) which is combined by the NVU.

Currently, researchers already use animal models for research. However, the scientists Geoffrey Potjewyd and Sam Moxon (see above) at Manchester University explain that research greatly needs human cell-based models.

Recent progress in tissue engineering means it’s possible to create complex structures consisting of different cell types and materials. As a result, the researchers found that 3D bioprinting is extremely promising.

They can also choose whether to use bio-ink and 3D print directly to create a structure or to use molds. With bio-ink, it’s possible to tweak the materials so the resulting models are biochemically and mechanically similar to the real NVU.

The hope is that by understanding the NVU better, researchers will be able to find better treatments for the resulting neurodegenerative diseases. They also add that they can produce a large number of 3D bioprints easily which makes the technology a valid research tool and could even move the field a step forward.

You can find out more by reading the study by the University of Manchester team. It was published in the journal Trends in Biotechnology.

Source: Medical Physics Web

Website: LINK

Surgeons in Wales used a 3D printed titanium implant to rebuild the chest of a 71-year-old man after a cancer removal operation which took three ribs and part of his breast bone.

3D printing has many medical uses, and for one of the first times in the UK, a titanium implant was 3D printed for a patient who required extensive surgery. Surgeons used this 3D printed implant, rather than a cement prosthetic, to rebuild the man’s chest.

Peter Maggs had cancer in his chest and during surgery surgeons removed the tumor, which had grown to the size of a tennis ball, but also some of his breastbone and three ribs.

The operation took eight hours and was carried out by surgeons at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, Wales. Cardiothoracic surgeon Ira Goldsmith explains:

“It was a very extensive growth that needed to be removed. However, removing it also meant removing part of the breastbone and three ribs… That would leave a large defect that could have destabilised the entire chest wall and reconstructing it was going to be a very complex procedure.”

Maggs’ New Titanium Ribs and Breastbone

In similar operations, a cement prosthetic is the typical choice. Such a prosthetic is created during the surgery and takes an hour and a half to make.

However, this time around, surgeon’s chose to use a titanium implant which was 3D printed in Wales ahead of time. One of the main benefits for using a 3D printed prosthetic is that it can be completely bespoke.

Surgeons designed the implant and outsourced the 3D printing. Goldsmith then carried out the surgery with consultant surgeon Thomas Bragg and they had the implant on hand to use as soon as they needed it.

This meant reducing the operating time, which was essential for Maggs who suffers from other health issues. Interestingly, Goldsmith sewed the implant into place, rather than using screws, to ensure it doesn’t break.

Everything went well with the surgery and Maggs, from Abergavenny, Wales, said: “I’m feeling good now. Mr Goldsmith is a saint to me – and Mr Bragg.”

Source: BBC

Website: LINK

Doctors in Chennai, India are working on 3D printing transplantable ears. They’ve recently been successful in growing ear cartilage in a culture flask and proving it continues to grow once implanted in rabbits.

For a couple of years, researchers from the SIMS Hospital and SRM University in Chennai, India, have been working on a 3D printed research project which could help children born with ear related birth defects.

The researchers have been growing ear cartilage cells in a culture flask and implanting the results. To do this, they are using 3D printing.

There has recently been a breakthrough in this study. The researchers explained in a press release that their experiments show after cells are implanted in rabbits, they continue to grow.

Previously, similar experiments failed due to the ear being unfit for transplantation and unable to survive. Although this means they can grow ear cartilage framework in an animal and is a promising start, they still have a way to go. In fact, more tests must be done and medical literature also needs to be published, they explain.

3D Printing Ear Cartilage to Help Children with Birth Defects

To begin this project, a small sample of ear cartilage was taken from a rabbit’s ear. In the lab, the researchers would extract cells from the sample. These were grown with the help of nutrients and other components to support the growth.

After a sufficient amount of growth was complete, the researchers moved the cells to a 3D printed scaffold made from bio-compatible, bio-degradable material in the shape of a human’s ear.

Next, after the cells were added to the 3D printed ear frame, they continued to grow for another week. Finally, after the cells reached a sufficient number, they were implanted into the rabbit from which the researchers took the cartilage sample.

“We kept it under the skin in the rabbit’s abdomen for three months. We also left an empty scaffold on the other side of the abdomen,” said Dr. Shantanu Patil, head of translation medicine department, SRM University.

After this time was over, a vet removed the scaffold. Dr. Patil continues: “A large part of the scaffold had disappeared. If we had left it for a little longer we would have had better results. We are now using this sample to check on the tensile strength and other mechanical properties.”

The researchers now intend on testing the process further. In fact, the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) is giving them permission to test on 18 more rabbits. The plan moving forward is to give more time for the frame to dissolve and see whether the cartilage will become more stable.

Other teams are also working on creating ears in the lab. Check out how researchers in China bioprinted the first ears from children’s cells.

Source: Times of India

Website: LINK