Schlagwort: medical 3D printing

  • 3D Printing Living Tissue Could Heal Damaged Joints and Eliminate Arthritis

    3D Printing Living Tissue Could Heal Damaged Joints and Eliminate Arthritis

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    A team of researchers from the University Medical Centre Utrecht in the Netherlands have created a biofabrication method to create living tissues that replicate cartilage and could potentially be implanted to repair damaged joints. 

    Experienced by millions and millions across the world, arthritis is a physical disability that nearly one in ten people will have to battle during their lifetime. Arthritis acts by breaking down the cartilage tissue found in joints, which leads to stiffness and swelling, resulting in pain and discomfort for those who develop the condition.

    However, at the University Medical Centre Utrecht in the Netherlands, Professor Jos Malda and has research team have created a 3D printable bioink that could allow damaged joints to heal themselves. The bioprinted tissues can be implanted into a living joint, where it would eventually mature into a new tissue and behave like healthy cartilage. This research is being conducted as a part of a project called 3D-JOINT.

    Although biomaterials like stem cells have been adapted for 3D printing, there have been difficulties in ensuring that the proper conditions for cellular building are met. While hydrogels are a viable material for delivering living tissue, they are also unable to withstand the mechanical load that some tissues face once implanted into the body.


    Strengthening Hydrogel to Transform it into Replacement Cartilage

    And so, the Dutch research team is experimenting with different additive materials that will strengthen the hydrogel to the point where it acts as replacement cartilage. The researchers are using a 3D printing process called melt electrowriting, which combines melted polycaprolactone with an electrical field to create fibers that are as thin as a strand of hair.

    These microfibers are being used to create scaffolding that can be combined with the hydrogel. “The combination of the hydrogel with the fibres acts in synergy, increasing the strength of the composite over 50 times while still allowing the cells to generate extracellular matrix and mature into a cartilage-like tissue,” Malda said.

    The researchers are currently working to expand their methodology to develop larger constructs, and will also experiment with different materials to combine bone and cartilage tissue replacements. The end-goal of their work is to eventually 3D print a complete and functional joint.

    As the University Medical Centre Utrecht research has carried on for a couple of years, it’s yet another instance of how bioprinting is advancing to the point where it will soon be safe and compatible for human implants.


    Professor Jos Malda

    License: The text of „3D Printing Living Tissue Could Heal Damaged Joints and Eliminate Arthritis“ by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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  • Engineers Develop 3D Printing Method That Produces Tissue Scaffolding From Sugar

    Engineers Develop 3D Printing Method That Produces Tissue Scaffolding From Sugar

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    A team of engineers from the University of Illinois have developed a free-form isomalt 3D printing technology that produces intricate sugar-based scaffolding, which could potentially be used to grow tissue or study tumors. 

    Slowly but surely, bioprinting is reshaping the medical landscape in multiple ways, from producing custom scaffolding to quite literally growing organs from stem cells. And now, after this latest development, 3D printing has just become a viable tool to produce intricate scaffolding structures out of sugar. That’s right, sugar…

    An engineering team at the University of Illinois has developed a 3D printer that can produce thinly layered networks of isomalt – the sugar alcohol used to make throat lozenges.

    The research entails materials and mechanics of free-form isomalt printing, which is a technique where the nozzle travels through space while the dissolved material solidifies. While other types of sugar are prone to burning or crystalizing when 3D printed, the sugar alcohol isomalt works much more efficient for this process.

    Matthew Gelber, the first author on the corresponding research paper, believes that the 3D printer could be used design structures such as cells and tissues eventually. However, growing tissues is just one application of the new technology, and there are other commercial applications in the team’s sights.


    Professor Rohit Bhargava (left) and PhD Matthew Gelber (right) who developed the free-form 3D printer. (Image: L. Brian Stauffer)

    3D Printing Sugar Creates Cylinder Tubes and Tunnels

    Called free-form isomalt printing, the technique uses a nozzle that travels freely through space solidifying dissolved materials. Gelber explains:

    “Other types of sugar printing have been previously explored, but have problems with the sugar burning or crystallizing. the sugar alcohol isomalt could work for printing applications and is less prone to burning or crystallization. After the materials and the mechanics, the third component was computer science. You have a design of a thing you want to make; how do you tell the printer to make it? How do you figure out the sequence to print all these intersecting filaments so it doesn’t collapse?”

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    Professor Rohit Bhargava at the Cancer Center at Illinois describes that the primary advantage of free-form structures is their ability to produce thin tubes that include circular cross-sections. This has previously not been achievable with polymers. The dissolved sugar on the other hand creates cylinder tubes and tunnels that resemble blood vessels.

    In order to create optimized design scaffolds and map out printing pathways, the researchers collaborated with Greg Hurst at Wolfram Research on an algorithm. These free-form structures are able to be made into thin tubes with circular cross-sections without the need for support structures. Once the sugar is dissolved, there’s a series of connected cylindrical tubes that resemble blood vessels, making it possible to transport nutrients in tissue or to create channels in microfluidic devices

    On top of that, the system also allows for more accurate control over the mechanical properties of each part. Bhargava explains:

    “For example, we printed a bunny. We could, in principle, change the mechanical properties of the tail of the bunny to be different from the back of the bunny, and yet be different from the ears. This is very important biologically. In layer-by-layer printing, you have the same material and you’re depositing the same amount, so it’s very difficult to adjust the mechanical properties.

    Needless to say, this recent development from the University of Illinois could be a game-changer in the medical landscape, presenting various possible applications, such as developing scaffolding to grow tissue of study tumors.

    The final paper, entitled “Model-guided design and characterization of a high-precision 3D printing process for carbohydrate glass,” has recently been published in Additive Manufacturing.


    3D printed bunny using the technology. (Image: Troy Comi)

    Source: Tech Explorist

    License: The text of „Engineers Develop 3D Printing Method That Produces Tissue Scaffolding From Sugar“ by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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  • 3D Printed Smartphone Device Puts Blood Pressure Monitoring at Your Fingertips

    3D Printed Smartphone Device Puts Blood Pressure Monitoring at Your Fingertips

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Researchers from Michigan State University have developed 3D printed smartphone device that is able to monitor the user’s blood pressure. The device uses a sensor that calculates blood pressure at the touch of a fingertip. 

    A team of researchers from Michigan State University have developed a 3D printed smartphone device that enables people to measure their blood pressure on the go. The device lets users monitor their blood pressure from anywhere, so long as they have a smartphone to connect it to.

    Regular monitoring of blood pressure is critical for patients with hypertension or cardiac conditions. As such, the device particularly caters to 20 to 50-year-olds who are both tech-savvy and also health conscious.

    Additionally, the monitor may offer major benefits to users in less developed countries or people that live in remote areas and can’t get to their doctor’s office easily.

    “The idea is to try to make blood measurement so convenient that people will have the ability to readily make the measurement … and that way we might be able to reduce the incidence of strokes and heart attacks,” said the study’s co-author Ramakrishna Mukkamala.

    The blood pressure measurement device is extremely easy to use. A user just presses his or her fingertip on the sensor and their blood pressure is calculated using an artery in their finger. Meanwhile, the user’s smartphone functions as a display to show finger pressure and blood pressure measurements.


    3D Printed Smartphone Device Enables Remote Blood Pressure Monitoring

    The device was developed by PhD student Anand Chandrasekhar and fellow colleagues from Michigan State University. The researchers used 3D printing technology to develop the prototype. In its final form, the case simply clips onto the back of a smartphone. The team also created an app to accompany the device, which provides instantaneous results.

    Since blood pressure tends to fluctuate across the day, it is generally recommended that users take multiple measurements. This enables them to gain a more accurate assessment of their pressure.

    Although the device has proven quite accurate, the research team cautions that it’s unlikely to offer the same quality readings as a proper arm measurement at a physician’s office. Additionally, the smartphone case will have to undergo more testing before its viability can be confirmed.

    With around one-third of Americans showing signs of high blood pressure, the monitor offers a potential breakthrough for self-sufficiency in personal healthcare. With this 3D printed smartphone device, people may soon be able to keep track of their blood pressure with the same device they browse the internet or send text messages with.

    The research team recently conducted a trial with 30 volunteers, and found that 90 percent were able to position their finger and get consistent blood pressure readings. The findings of their study were recently published in Science Translational Medicine.


    Source: ABC & NBC News


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  • Researchers 3D Print Tremor Suppression Glove to Help Parkinson’s Patients

    Researchers 3D Print Tremor Suppression Glove to Help Parkinson’s Patients

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Researchers from Western University have developed a functional prototype of a new tremor suppression glove. This device aims to provide more independence to patients suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. 

    Across the world, there are around 10 million people with Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that causes a loss of dopaminergic neurons in the area of the brain known as the substantia nigra.

    This progressive disease greatly hinders a patient’s motor skills, causing uncontrollable tremors, loss of balance, among other debilitating symptoms. Unfortunately, those suffering from Parkinson’s disease struggle to perform everyday activities like eating or getting dressed.

    Looking to improve the quality of life for Parkinson’s patients, a team of researchers from Western University have developed a new tremor suppression glove.

    The device utilizes a series of motors and sensors to help distinguish between the voluntary motions of a patient and the involuntary tremors that stem from the disease. A number of the key components included in this functional prototype were 3D printed.


    3D Printed Tremor Suppression Glove Aims to Provide Independence to Parkinson’s Patients

    The 3D printed tremor suppression glove took four years to complete. The research team is currently waiting on ethics approval to test the assistive device on Parkinson’s patients. Western University has already developed the software that controls the glove. The software program was created with the help of research subjects with Parkinson’s disease.

    “I believe that with a technology like this, could remain independent for longer. They could perform activities of daily living in a more effective manner for a longer amount of time,” said Ana Luisa Trejos, an assistant professor in Western’s department of electrical and computer engineering.

    The 3D printed prototype is able filter out and suppress tremors, while still allowing the voluntary motions to transpire. This is advantageous over previous glove designs, which can only stop tremors by suppressing all motion in the hand and wrist.

    Led by Trejos, the researchers designed the 3D printed glove prototype to fit the left hand of graduate student Yue Zhou. In the future, the assistive device will be customized to fit each patient’s hand and forearm. According to the research team, each tremor suppression glove should cost under $1,000 to create.

    “Our goal is to really get it out there for people to be able to use it, so potentially if a company is interested in commercializing the product, then we’d be on board with supporting that,” Trejos adds.



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  • KWSP to Launch ‘While You Wait’ 3D Printing Service for Custom Insoles

    KWSP to Launch ‘While You Wait’ 3D Printing Service for Custom Insoles

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    KW Special Projects is teaming up with the advanced foot orthotics manufacturer Podfo Ltd to launch a ‘while you wait’ 3D printing service for customized insoles.

    KW Special Projects (KWSP), the engineering solutions provider based in the UK, has begun work on a £750,000 project to develop a ‘while you wait’ service for personalized 3D printed insoles.

    The project, which is in part funded by Innovate UK, is aiming to create an in-house 3D printing ecosystem for personalized insoles by 2019. The orthotics manufacturer Podfo Ltd and experts from Newcastle University have also joined the scheme.

    It’s an ambitious plan, but the team is confident in the capabilities of additive manufacturing. Kieron Salter, Managing Director of KWSP, explains that the project demonstrates the benefits of 3D printing in the orthotics sector.

    “We will tackle the project by providing new thinking on two fronts. First of all, we intend to exploit nascent technologies to significantly reduce the time it takes to produce these parts using AM , alongside reducing the overall development cost,” he said.

    The service will entail an orthotics kit that enables clinicians to measure a patient’s individual sole and gait. Directly after, they will be able to 3D print the personalized insole right on-site. Depending on the needs of each patient, the orthotic device can help realign the foot, improve posture, or address other medical issues.


    The KWSP 3D printing facility

    ‘While You Wait’ 3D Printed Insoles Aim to Provide Fast and Custom Orthotic Solutions

    Podfo, one of the consortium members, was one of the first companies to produce 3D printed foot orthotics. Using Computer Aided Manufacture data from each patient, clinicians can take on-the-spot sole measurements with high accuracy. This will help streamline the production process, provide greater efficiency, and also reduce the overall development cost.

    Jari Pallari, Innovations Director at Podfo, adds:

    “We are delighted to combine our expertise with other industry leaders, in order to produce a new, smarter way of creating orthotics, placing more control for a defined orthosis in the hand of the clinicians.”

    According to Pallari, the service will offer significant benefits to both patients and clinicians. The customized 3D printed insoles “help reduce the strain from a broad spectrum of medical issues”. Additionally, the insoles will be tailor-made for each patient, increasing comfort and providing a perfect fit.

    A number of companies have been utilizing 3D printing technology to produce customized insoles, including Wiivv and SOLS. However, what seems to make KWSP’s venture unique is the ‘while you wait’ aspect of the project.

    By leveraging the advantages of additive manufacturing, this collaborative effort will attempt to make orthotic solutions easier to obtain, one comfortable step at a time.


    Source: Podfo & TCT Magazine

    Website: LINK

  • Researchers 3D Print Accurate Microfluidic Model of the Blood-Brain Barrier

    Researchers 3D Print Accurate Microfluidic Model of the Blood-Brain Barrier

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Italian researchers have developed 3D bio-hybrid microfluidic models to screen for drugs and assess toxicity of nanoparticles crossing the blood-brain barrier.

    The primary function of the blood-brain barrier is to protect the brain from neurotoxic compounds, pathogensand , blood-circulating compounds. In order to develop new treatments for neurodegenerative disease and brain disorders, researchers are observing how this barrier can be crossed.

    A team of Italian researchers have created a life-like 3D bio-hybrid microfluidic model of the blood brain barrier using high-resolution 3D printing technology.

    Although static 2D models as well as 2D microfluidic systems already exist, they are also quite limited. For the first time, 3D printing has enabled reproduction of microcapillaries of the neurovascular system on a 1:1 scale.

    This accomplishment will enable the research team to screen the capabilities that drugs and other nanovectors have in crossing the blood-brain barrier. One of the main advantages of this system is that it renders animal models unnecessary, reducing ethical concerns and preventing harm to living species.

    Defined as a bio-hybrid, the brain microcapillaries of the model include both artificial and biological components. While the artificial structure includes 3D porous tubes and is made using two-photo lithography, the biological portion includes porous microtubes that allow for the growth of endothelial cells.

    The design is based on a mathematical model that should also guide further development of additional prototypes. The flow rate of the solution inside the microvessel is adjusted to a realistic and comparable value.


    Scanning electron microscopy image of the bio-hybrid BBB model. (Image: Gianni Ciofani, IIT)

    3D Printed Models of the Blood-Brain Barrier Could Offer Inside Look at Neurodegenerative Disease and Brain Disorders

    Gianni Ciofani, who leads the Smart Bio-Interfaces group at the Italian Institute of Technology and is an Associate Professor at Polytechnic University of Torino, explains:

    “The novelty of our work mainly consists in the fabrication of a reliable platform to carry out high-throughput quantitative investigations of drug delivery to the brain. The in vitro model provides a closed system where the different variables such as drug concentration, blood flow speed, pH, and temperature can be easily tuned and monitored, thus providing precious and detailed information about the BBB crossing in real time and at cellular/sub-cellular level.”

    Though certain drugs show potential in the treatment of brain disorders, many are unable to cross the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, researchers have resorted to analyzing why these molecules are unable to cross the barrier and study the underlying cellular mechanisms.

    This work potentially represents an important advancement for both pharmaceutical companies and scientific researchers exploring brain therapeutics for conditions such as brain cancer, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease.

    In the future, the team hopes to test the model using a variety of drugs, molecules, and nanoparticles. However, widespread safety concerns exist over the accumulation of nanoparticles in organs, and thus their potential toxicity will continue to require rigorous testing.

    The study, entitled “A 3D Real-Scale, Biomimetic, and Biohybrid Model of the Blood-Brain Barrier Fabricated through Two-Photon Lithography”, was recently published in the journal Small.


    3D rendering of confocal acquisition of the bio-hybrid BBB model. (Image: Gianni Ciofani, IIT)

    Source: nanowerk

    Website: LINK

  • 3D Printed Ceramic Implant Fuses With Bone to Repair Broken Limbs

    3D Printed Ceramic Implant Fuses With Bone to Repair Broken Limbs

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Researchers from the University of Sidney have developed a 3D printed ceramic implant that fuses with natural bone. The implant was successfully used to repair large leg fractures in sheep. 

    As most of us know, breaking a bone is never an enjoyable experience, and having a metal plate or screws inserted into the fracture area doesn’t exactly jumpstart the fun. Thankfully, 3D printing technology is making it easier to create patient-specific implants and treat injuries or other debilitating conditions.

    Now, a team of researchers from the University of Sydney have developed a ceramic 3D printed implant that naturally fuses with bone to repair broken limbs. That means no metal plates or screws are required.

    The project, which is being led by Professor of Biomedical Engineering Hala Zreiqat, has been underway for a few years. After the material was successfully used to heal broken arm bones in rabbits, the team was moved on to a larger and more wooly animal. The researchers recently used the 3D printed ceramic implant to repair large leg fractures in sheep.

    3D Printed Ceramic Implant Offers Advantages Over Traditional Fracture Treatment

    In the latest phase of the study, the eight sheep observed and treated were able to walk with the implants directly after surgery. For the first month, plaster casts were used to help stabilize their legs, but the healing process was surprisingly quick and effective.

    According to the researchers, 25 percent of the fractures were healed after three months, while 88 percent were healed after one year. X-rays showed that the ceramic implant actually fused into the bone.

    While this breakthrough certainly has implications regarding the use of 3D printed implants in patients, the research is ongoing.

    The ultimate aim of the project is to 3D print scaffolds out of a novel bioactive ceramic (known as Sr-HT-Gahnite) that are optimized and strong enough to be used as a bone substitution in spinal fusion.

    Dr. Zreigat hopes to prove that this 3D printed implant will match patient-specific needs and improve longterm treatment efficacy. The study involving the sheep has yet to be published, but more details will be shared soon.

    Source: New Scientist

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