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As if 3D printers for rapid prototyping weren’t cool enough, researchers at the University of Wollongong and St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, part of Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES), have been using 3D printing to make some pretty exciting advances in tissue engineering and orthopedic surgery.
The research team of Associate Professor Damian Myers of St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne makes scaffolds using 3D printing equipment to grow cartilage from stem cells isolated from infrapatellar adipose tissue. Placed in a culture for 4 weeks, the cells form tissue that can be used for repair of cartilage injuries. One benefit of this method is that the repaired site will be less likely to deteriorate and will be able to “self-repair.” The hope is to be able to apply this process to repair of injured or diseased muscle or nerve tissue as well.1
A new tool called the BioPen developed at the University of Wollongong allows orthopedic surgeons to use 3D printing technology to “draw” customized surgical implants. The pen delivers two layers of gel to the damaged area – live cells inside a biopolymer protected by an outer layer of gel material. The device emits low powered ultra-violet light to solidify the “ink” during dispensing, in order to protect the cells while they are drawn on in layers at the wound site. Once built into a scaffold, the cells will eventually multiply and differentiate into the appropriate type of tissue. Growth factors can even be added to assist in recovery.2
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