Medical 3D Printing & BioprintingDr Varun Tyagi is a medical doctor who practices in India and writes about remarkable and historical landmarks throughout the medical world. Dr Varun believes that 3D printing can help democratize medical care, making medical devices affordable and available to everyone on the planet.
Jake Reynolds from Glendale was rushed to HonorHealth John C. Lincoln Medical Center in Phoenix where doctors found his whole face was crushed like pulp and required Facial Reconstruction. Luckily, Dr. Pablo Prichard was working as the trauma surgeon on the floor who used a high-definition CT scan to develop a 3-D printed implant to reconstruct Reynold’s face.
Eastman Chemical Company recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Chung-Ang University on a collaborative project. With this project, the school will use 3D printing technology at its Seoul campus to produce prosthetic hands with Eastman Amphora™ 3D polymer, an advanced thermoplastic.
The University of Michigan has partnered with Altair Engineering and Stratasys to form the CYBER team and work together to leverage 3D printing and Industry 4.0 to transform Ankle Foot Orthotics (AFO). To accomplish this, the CYBER team will create the digital workflow for additive manufacturing (AM) design, while connecting the digital thread in a cloud-based cyber physical system.
At the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ (AAOS) Annual Meeting in Orlando, Materialise will be introducing a new software suite for 3D printing in hospitals. The suite will allow hospitals to create better pre-operation plans, master 3D printing file preparations, 3D print anatomical models for complex cases, and integrate 3D printing into the surgical workflow.
Dr. Francis Patterson, the Attending Musculoskeletal Oncology Physician and Assistant Professor at University Hospital in Newark, was helped with 3D Printed model of a tumor which was to be resected from a patient's pelvic region. The CT scan and Imaging technology of the patient’s pelvic tumor and surrounding bone and tissues were used to 3D print the model .
Doctors at Sir HN Hospital,Mumbai, printed a 3D kidney, which helped the surgeons to easily tackle surgery on a patient who had a cancerous tumour on the kidney. Dr Inderbir S Gill, performed a partial nephrectomy — a procedure where only the part of kidney is removed — on the patient, Mushtaq Ahmed, 48 after using 3D Printed Kidney for virtual surgery.
Australian neurosurgeon, Ralph Mobbs, successfully removed cancer-riddled vertebrae of his patient Drage Josevski who was suffering from Chordoma. After removal, the 3D printed body part was used as replacement for the vertebrae. After 15 hour surgery, patient was under screening for progress.
Ultimaker has invited developers to design and print an innovative 3D printable Star Wars gadget which is worth a challenge put up with worthy prizes. The 1st prize will be an Ultimaker 2+ which they showcased at CES 2016 while runner ups will receive Colorfabb nGen filaments.
Faculty of Medicine at the University of Rijeka completed a complicated operation by attaching a 3D-printed ear to a patient who lost his ear due to skin cancer (Basal Cell Carcinoma). On February 20, Dr. Dubravko Manestar attached the ear which was made from biocompatible silicone.
Rokit, South Korean 3D printing company, received $3M from government last year as a boost and has now appeared with its Edison Invivo 3D Printer to take on Bio-printing market. Edison Invivo uses a bio ink to produce cell structures in the form of organic tissue, and compatible biomaterials include PLGA, PCL, PLLA, collagen, Alginate, Silk fibroi.
Researchers from the School of Science have found photopolymers used in 3D printing which are toxic and exposure them can potentially pose health and environmental risks. Though these health risks are currently unknown but allergies through skin contacts are possible, as skin is the most common route of exposure to photopolymers during handling of parts and 3D printing materials.
Researchers at Wake Forest University, North Carolina, say they have created a 3D printer that can actually replace real tissues, organs and bones in human body. Although the research has been performed at mice only, the success was a miracle without any necrosis or signs of cell death.
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, a global leader in musculoskeletal healthcare received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the Unite3D™ Bridge Fixation System. It is a 3D-printed technology designed to offer stability in foot and ankle arthrodesis (joint fusion) surgery and includes an osteo-conductive matrix designed to provide for biological incorporation.
Utkarsh Tandon, an Indian American kid from California, 3d printed a medical device for Parkisnon's patients called OneRing inspired by Lord of Rings movie for which he won California State Science Fair and given grant from UCLS Brain Research Institute. The plastic ring contains a microchip and records wearer’s movements as Dyskinesia, Bradykinesia, and tremor.
RTI Surgical Inc., a leading global surgical implant company, announced a new agreement with Oxford Performance Materials, Inc. (OPM), a pioneer in advanced materials and additive manufacturing (3-D printing) for Biomedical Applications. The agreement, effective from Feb. 4, 2016, grants RTI an exclusive license to OPM’s OsteoFab® technology platform for Spinal Applications in all U.S. market.
After heavy chemotherapy, Cancer patients lose their hair on head, which often drains further juice of life. Thanks to 3D Printing by Transitions Hair Solutions, which has provided hair prosthesis to cancer patients for years.
Scientists at University of California, San Diego, have successfully 3D Printed Human Liver model, almost resembling human liver with its hexagonal structure. With combination of liver cells and supporting cells, this model can help pharmaceutical companies to develop better treatment plans.
A team of researchers from three universities including the Illinois Institute of Technology, recently published a Journal regarding emissions from 3D Printers concerning about health hazards of 3D Printing. PLA filament emitting lactide bits and ABS filaments emitting Styrene were worth concerning, however, the exposure levels need to be high enough for them to be effectively harmful.
Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany, have developed a new kind of display called Linespace. This 3D printed display is more of on-demand image printing which can help blind people to re-discover what the actual world feels like.
NYC-based startup called EpiBone is working to discover alternate sources for 3D printing bone, and one of the abundant source is animal bone material. EpiBone team is building a 3D printed scaffold to create an environment in which a body’s own fat tissue stem cells can grow into new bone for which they are using animal bones that have been stripped of all its cellular material.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University have been harnessing cotton candy machines to spin out threads similar in size, density and complexity to the patterns formed by biocapillaries. Already announced that they have succeeded in using this unorthodox technique to produce a 3D artificial capillary system, they are working on fiber networks that can be used as templates to produce the capillary systems required to create full-scale artificial organs.
Cell Applications, Inc. and Cyfuse Biomedical K.K. have announced that advanced tissue-engineering services are now available in North America using a new three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting approach called the "Kenzan Method". Using Cyfuse Biomedical's Regenova® 3D Bio Printer, Cell Applications has created a pay-for-service bio-printing model that makes scaffold-free tissue available immediately to scientists in the U.S. and Canada for research use.
Team of researchers from Institute for Integrative Nanosciences at IFW Dresden, Germany, have developed spermbots, a tiny metal helix that attaches to individual sperm cells and help them move. Fit over sperm cells to treat infertility, team used 3D laser lithography to create the helix.
Designers at Nottingham Trent University, UK, have discovered microstructure of a 3D-printed bone scaffold. This new scaffold is believed to contain all minerals like natural bone and will dissolve as patient recovers, thereby creating a bridge for tissue regeneration.
Thomas Davis, All-Pro star linebacker for the Carolina Panthers broke his right forearm in a January 24 game against the Arizona Cardinals and needed something to help him with upcoming Super Bowl 50. He got a Strong Arm Brace which was created by 3D Elite, a manufacturer of 3D-printed braces and casts for athletes, and was produced in record time at Whiteclouds 3D Printing on a Stratasys Connex 3D Printer.
BioArchitects announced today the 510(k) clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – FDA, for the company’s 3D printed patient specific titanium cranial/craniofacial plate implant. Starting from CT scan or MRI of the affected area, the image is then imported into a highly sophisticated computer design program, which is used to create a template of the repair that becomes the model from which the 3D printer produces the titanium plate which is the exact fit for the defect.
Scientists at Harvard University used 3D printed brain to learn how a human brain develops it's folds. The whole new concept that not only biochemical processes but physical forces are also involved in brain folds formation. This new discovery will help better understand the concepts behind neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease and Schizophrenia.
Tissues with extracellular matrix, embedded vasculature, and multiple cell types and embedded with growth factors for long duration have been reported to be 3-D bioprinted.
3D Printing is helping the Veterans and War Officers to regain their parts of life lost during battle by providing them with Prosthetics. Liacouras, Director of Service for 3D Medical Applications Center at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, is one of those who uses 3D Printing Technology to improve people’s quality of life by pushing the fields of prosthetics and orthotics forward.
Engineering firm TWI worked with metal powder technology company Metalysis to create Hip Replacements using "metal additive layer manufacturing" which uses tantalum powder, a metal which is bio-inert, to form a lattice structure with consistent strength and density. The powder is formed into solid structures using "selective laser melting" to fuse the tiny metal particles together with heat and the whole process is cost-competitive according to company.
Scientists are working ways out to meet the nutritional requirements of soldiers using the 3D Printing Technology. Lauren Oleksyk, a food technologist at the US Army's Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center believes 3D Printed Meals can be the best and fastest approach to meet specific caloric requirements for the army.
Dozens of schools participating in 3D Printing Project by e-NABLE Community have incorporated the e-NABLE hand design and assembly into their S.T.E.M. based learning courses. Some schools, like Crossroads Intermediate School, have gone above and beyond the creation of 3D printed hands. Looking forward to evolving the 3D Printing Technology, e-NABLE is seeking students and teachers with their first CREATE T.I.M.E. Design contest.
NewPro3D of Vancouver, Canada, has developed 3D printer ILI™, Intelligent Liquid Interface, that can finish the process in minutes compared to hours. This is simply done by eliminating the dead time of printing process, peeling and layering and so, they call it Continous Printing.
KidMob and Robohands united two years back as an innovative idea to help build 3D printed prosthetics for disabled children. However, this idea saw brilliance when creative minds introduced superhero like prototypes for their prosthetics.
This was the first time a child received an adult kidney transplant, thanks to 3D Printing technology. Surgeons at London's Guy and St.Thomas hospital used 3D printed models of abdomen of Lucy, 3 year old receiver, and kidney of Lucy's father aged 35 years. Looking at the models, they knew how to minimise the risk of surgery and what was exactly going to happen, with both having perfect recovery now.
With 3D Printing already into use in every sector, researchers are now experimenting 4D Printing that involves 3D-printing items that are designed to change shape after they are printed. Lewis and team, Harvard University, have evolved 3D-printed structures made of stiff cellulose fibers embedded in a soft hydrogel, whose orientation can be controlled after they swell up on immersing in water.
Channel Mum has set baby trend 2016 by 3D printing foetuses before they are actually born. Expectant parents can grab their 3D printed baby for 450$ for 8 inch or 200$ for small cast. The 3D foetus will be printed after ultrasound scans has been converted into actual plastic object.
Anatomy of medical world was dominated by formaldehyde smelling cadavers and high cost plastic models for education. However, researchers of Australia and New Zealand are now using 3D printers like Z650 printer to prepare medical models of eye for ophthalmologists and optometrists. Apart from being low cost, they serve with better quality and easy learning.
MediSieve, the developer of a magnetic filter device, treats malaria by capturing and removing malaria infected red blood cells. It received a Pathfinder Award from the Wellcome Trust of £102,000, enough to fund a 12-month project to manufacture and test clinical prototypes of its device.
After Nepalese valley had been hit by earthquakes, the apocalypse left 200 families homeless with blurred hopes and shattered water pipes. Lamb from NGO FieldReady visited the site and discovered that 3D printing can be handy in reversible the effects. Indeed, 3D Printing solved the leaking problems, but there is always more to what you see.