the use of 3D printers to create artificial organs and donor tissues
Modern medicine is developing at a rapid pace thanks to the introduction of new technologies. One of these technologies is 3D printing, which opens up new horizons in the treatment of patients and allows the creation of complex medical products.
In this article, we will look at how 3D printing is successfully used in medicine to produce artificial organs and donor tissues.
What is 3D printing in medicine?
Medical 3D printing is an innovative process for creating three-dimensional objects for medical use using additive technologies such as stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), and fused deposition modeling (FDM).
How is 3D printing used in medicine?
3D printing technologies make it possible to create products with high precision and detail, which opens up wide possibilities for their use in various medical fields.
Here are some of the main areas where 3D printing is used in medicine:
Prosthetics
Creating individual prostheses for limbs, teeth and other body parts. Individual prostheses can significantly improve the quality of life of patients by providing a better fit to anatomical features.
The use of FDM printers is becoming an indispensable way to simplify and reduce the cost of creating unique prostheses. A special program for printing hand prostheses was developed for the residents of Sierra Leone, who suffered as a result of the civil war. Canadian designer Albert Fung created a CAD model of the prosthesis, which is used as a basis by doctors in Africa. Specialists in Sierra Leone personalize the 3D model for each patient and print the device on Raise3D Pro2. The production of such a prosthesis costs $ 50, while prostheses made by other methods can cost several thousand US dollars.
Implants
Production of individual medical implants, such as bone plates or joint prostheses. 3D printing allows the creation of implants that are perfectly tailored to the shape and size of a specific patient.
The production of titanium bone implants is a process of creating an artificial product. It is in such situations that the advantages of 3D printers operating on selective laser melting technology become obvious. Experts can print an implant of the desired shape with high precision in just a few hours.
Surgical models
Creating anatomically accurate models of organs and body parts based on medical scanner data (CT, MRI) for healthcare. These models help surgeons plan complex surgeries and conduct preoperative training.
Medical instruments
Production of customized medical instruments and devices such as special holders, guides for drills and other surgical instruments that can be manufactured for specific surgical tasks.
Volt Bipolar Laparoscopic Surgical Instrument by Bite
The Volt, a 3D-printed bipolar laparoscopic clamp, is a compact device designed to clamp and coagulate (cauterize) blood vessels and tissue, for example to stop bleeding during surgery. It was developed for use in minimally invasive (sparing) surgery in 2016 and successfully tested on pig liver.
Source: bitegroup.nl
The design of the device allows for easy adjustment of the shaft and tip geometry to suit the patient’s anatomy and surgical requirements. The maneuverable shank is ±65° for lateral movements and ±85° up and down. The bending stiffness is 4.0 N/mm for the first connection and 4.4 N/mm for the second, which significantly exceeds previously available controlled instruments. The tip includes two movable 3D-printed titanium jaws with an opening angle of up to 170°. The instrument is connected to the Erbe electrosurgical unit and is capable of successfully coagulating tissue at a temperature of 75°C, achieved in 5 seconds.
Textbooks
3D printed models of the human body and its parts are used for educational purposes, allowing medical students and medical professionals to improve their skills and knowledge.
Creating organs and tissues using 3D bioprinting
3D bioprinting is an advanced technology that combines the principles of traditional 3D printing and biological sciences to create living tissues and organs. This innovative approach has enormous potential for medicine and biology, as it allows the creation of structures that can be used for transplantation, research, and drug testing.
How are artificial organs created using 3D printers?
What materials are used to print organs?
Various materials are used to print artificial organs, including biopolymers, hydrogels, and even living cells. Biopolymers and hydrogels serve as a base onto which layers of cells are deposited, creating complex cellular structures. Stem cells are often used as a starting material for printing tissues and organs, as they can differentiate into different cell types.
Biopolymers:
– Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG): Widely used due to its biocompatibility and modification capabilities.
– Polycaprolactone (PCL): A biodegradable polymer often used to create scaffolds.Hydrogels:
– Alginate: A natural biopolymer derived from algae that is often used for its ability to form hydrogel networks in soft tissues.
– Hyaluronic acid (HA): A natural component of the extracellular matrix used to create biocompatible hydrogels.Collagen based materials:
– Collagen is the main structural protein in the human body and is actively used to create artificial tissues.Living cells:
– Stem cells: Versatile cells that can differentiate into a variety of cell types. Stem cells can be derived from a variety of sources, including embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
– Organoid cells: Miniature and simplified versions of organs grown from stem cells and used as biomaterials for organ printing.Bio-ink:
– It is a combination of living cells and biomaterials that can be printed into complex 3D structures. Bioinks must be biocompatible, provide a nutrient medium for the cells, and have the right rheological properties for printing.Support and frame materials:
– Hydroxyapatite-based materials: Used for printing bone tissue due to their similarity to the mineral component of bone and are used in dentistry.
– Materials based on chondroitin sulfate: They are popular for creating a tissue framework for cartilage structures.
The use of these materials requires a precise balance between mechanical properties, biocompatibility and the ability to support cell viability. Current research is actively aimed at improving these materials and methods so that the artificial tissue made with them is as close as possible to natural tissue.
How do 3D printers ensure accurate anatomical geometry?
The accuracy of the anatomical geometry is achieved thanks to the high resolution of 3D printers and the use of 3D models created based on medical examination data such as MRI and CT scans. These models allow the 3D printer to accurately reproduce the anatomical structure of an organ or tissue, which is especially important when creating implants and surgical models.
What organs can be 3D printed?
Today, 3D printers have successfully printed organs such as skin, cartilage, liver, and kidneys. The development of more complex organs, such as the heart, is still in the research stage, but has already shown promising results. 3D printing of skin is used to treat burns, and printed cartilage and bone are used in orthopedics and traumatology.
Cartilage Printing: Ear Reconstruction
Source: rokithealthcare.com
Using different materials such as hydroxyapatite (HAp) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) in a printer Rokit Dr. INVIVO 4D Premiummedical professionals can create printed structures that are flexible. This is important for cartilage repair, especially in reconstructive surgery of the outer ear.
What benefits does 3D printing offer to the medical sector?
What kind of custom prosthetics can be printed?
3D printing allows creating individual prostheses that fully correspond to the anatomical features of the patient. These can be dentures, bone implants, hearing aids and many other products. An individual approach not only ensures high comfort for the patient, but also improves the functional characteristics of the prostheses.
How does 3D printing help in the production of medical implants?
3D printed medical implants can be manufactured with high precision and from biocompatible materials. This allows the creation of implants that are perfectly tailored to the shape and size of a specific patient using a 3D printer. In addition, 3D printing is used to create porous structures that facilitate bone ingrowth, which is important for the osseointegration of implants.
What surgical models are developed using 3D printing?
3D printing in medicine is also used to create surgical models that allow surgeons to plan and practice complex surgeries in advance. Such models can be made with precision down to the smallest detail, which helps surgeons better understand the patient’s anatomy and increases the chances of a successful operation.
Other examples of the use of 3D printers in medicine
3D Printing of Human Muscles Begins
On August 25, 2023, researchers at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation in Los Angeles, California, announced a new method for shaping human muscle using 3D printing. They believe this method could greatly help treat patients suffering from skeletal muscle damage caused by injury, disease, or surgery.
Muscle development is a complex biological process in which precursor cells called myoblasts fuse to form tubular structures that later develop into mature muscle fibers. Precise alignment and orientation of the cells is necessary for muscles to contract and function properly. A new technology developed by US scientists uses special 3D printing bio-inks that help form muscle tissue.
American scientists have announced the creation of a new technology for growing human muscles using 3D printing. Microparticles containing insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) are added to the ink. It has been proven that the introduction of IGF-1 promotes the formation of mature skeletal muscle tissue from precursor cells and improves their structural alignment, which increases the efficiency of the regeneration process.
The bio-ink includes a biocompatible gelatin-based hydrogel (GeIMA), myoblast cells, and uniformly sized synthetic microparticles with IGF-1. The growth factor is released gradually as the microparticles degrade, ensuring a long-lasting and uniform effect. A week after creating muscle constructs using this bio-ink, scientists noted improved alignment and fusion of myoblasts. Ten days after bioprinting, muscle tissues began to contract spontaneously. Thus, the prolonged release of IGF-1 promotes the maturation and alignment of muscle cells, which plays a key role in muscle tissue repair and regeneration.
3D Printing Gloves for Quick Skin Replacement on Hands
In mid-February 2023, scientists at Columbia University Irving Medical Center presented a new method for creating 3D bioengineered skin grafts. The researchers have already developed a leather glove that can replace the skin on your hands by simply putting it on, like a regular glove.
Traditional skin graft techniques require taking skin from another part of the body before applying it to the damaged area. Scientists are developing bioengineered skin by fusing human cells with biomaterials, but until now these constructs have been simple sheets that are difficult to cut and securely attach to patients’ uneven anatomy.
Bioengineered skin graft
Scientists have developed a method that allows the formation of three-dimensional structures resembling clothing that can be easily put on damaged tissue. As the authors of the method note, in addition to ease of use, it requires the creation of structures that take into account the characteristics of each specific situation. This allows for the production of personalized structures that are ideal for each patient.
The technique involves scanning the area of the body that is to be transplanted, such as a burn that has damaged a large portion of the skin on the arm. The patient’s arm is first scanned, and scientists use automated technology to create a template for a hollow, glove-like structure. The next step is to 3D print a biomaterial scaffold of the desired shape. The scaffold is then seeded with connective tissue proteins such as collagen and skin fibroblasts, which are capable of producing connective tissue components. The researchers then seed keratinocytes on the outside of the graft to create an epidermal layer. After a period of culture, the scientists believe the graft can be placed on the injured arm like a glove using a standard surgical approach.
Implants for maxillofacial surgery
Researchers from Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) and Tomsk National Research Medical Center have created the first technology in Russia for producing implants for maxillofacial surgery using a 3D printer from domestic materials and tested it on the first patients. The press service of the educational institution announced this on August 18, 2023.
The implants are made from fluorinated polymers using 3D printing based on computer tomography data. The products are based on fluoropolymers from the Russian company HaloPolymer (Kirovo-Chepetsk). According to the developers, implants using photopolymers have a number of advantages. They are lightweight, quickly take root in the body and do not interfere with radiation therapy. In addition, 3D printing technology allows for an individual approach to each clinical case.
The first technology in Russia for manufacturing implants for maxillofacial surgery on a 3D printer has been developed
In the process of manufacturing an implant, we go through a full technological cycle: from the preparation of polymer powder to quality control of the printed product. In this case, we use not only domestic raw materials, but also domestic equipment. Traditionally, individual titanium implants are used to treat oncological pathologies in the head and neck area. However, for their manufacture, as a rule, imported raw materials are used, the suppliers of which have left Russia, – the message quotes the words of the project manager, research fellow at the TPU Research School of Chemical and Biomedical Technologies Evgeny Bolbasov.
Using Russian technology, three patients of the Tomsk National Research Medical Center's Oncology Research Institute were operated on with malignant tumor diseases of the maxillofacial region at stages 3-4, in particular, with defects in the bone tissue of the upper jaw.
