3D printing

With increased medical precision, speed of service and reduced cost, 3D printing presents a unique opportunity to transform traditional healthcare and its delivery. We give key insights on an array of topics that includes 3D printing of implants and prosthetics, anatomical modeling for surgical planning and the advances of bioprinting of tissue, vessels and organs.

Sugar: Sweet way to 3D print blood vessels

Scientists have developed a way of using laser-sintering of powdered sugars to produce highly detailed structures that mimick the body’s intricate, branching blood vessels in lab-grown tissues.

Researchers successfully bioprint healthy new tissue

New muscle has successfully been created in mice using a minimally invasive technique dubbed ‘intravital 3D bioprinting’.

Diabetes: 3D printed insoles hope for patients

Scientists claim that new 3D printed insoles can significantly improve the foot health of people suffering with diabetes.

Bioprinting nanoparticles for ovarian cancer immunotherapy

Nanoengineers plan to develop an immunotherapy for ovarian cancer using 3D-bioprinted plant virus nanoparticles.

A 3D printed bluetooth enabled stethoscope

The digital stethoscope that makes it possible to listen to the heart and lungs of their patients while standing up to 50 feet away.

3D printing sensors on expanding organs

Scientists have developed a 3D printing technique that could have future applications in diagnosing and monitoring the lungs of patients with COVID-19.

Bioprinting tissues directly within the body

Researchers take a step closer to 3D printing living tissues in patients as they develop a specially-formulated bio-ink designed for printing directly in the body.

4D printing soft objects for implants

Scientists have developed a method to 4D print objects that can be manipulated to take on alternate forms when exposed to changes in temperature, electric current or stress.

3D printed material mimics biological tissues

Researchers have developed a method to 3D print liquid crystal elastomers so that they form complex structures with physical properties that match those of complex biological tissues, such as cartilage.

World first in 3D printed self-expandable stents

Researchers from CSIRO have made it possible to 3D print tailor-made stents, a critical biomedical device used to treat narrow or blocked arteries.

Lab engineers 3D functional bone tissues

Researchers have developed a printable bioink that could be used to create anatomical-scale functional tissues.

3D printing patient-specific implants

Researchers have developed a personalized therapeutic concept that significantly reduces the chances of a patient suffering post-operative complications.

A novel swab design to augment COVID-19 testing

Scientists have developed a novel test swab that can be 3D printed using inexpensive, widely available materials and speedily assembled in a range of fabrication settings.

The role of surgical 3D printing in hospitals

More and more hospitals are entering the world of 3D printing in surgery as decision-makers and surgeons are realising the immense benefits for surgeons and patients alike.

Device could support multiple COVID-19 patients from one ventilator

3D printing fuels efforts to rapidly increase ventilator capacity while providing each patient on vent support with individually tailored gas pressures and pressure monitoring.

3D printed swabs fill gap in COVID-19 test kits

In response to a request from the Commonwealth of Kentucky, faculty of University of Louisville have created a 3D printed swab made of a pliable resin material.

A 3D-printed diffuser to treat COVID-19 patients

Scientists have delivered more than 200 3D-printed diffusers for metered dose inhalers (MDI) to the Houston hospital and stands ready to produce more if needed.

Engineers develop 3D printed ventilator splitters

The prototype was developed in response to the urgent need for more ventilators to treat patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by COVID-19.

3D printed rubbery brain implants

Engineers are working on developing soft, flexible neural implants that can gently conform to the brain’s contours and monitor activity over longer periods.

The risks of using 3D printing to make PPE

A researcher provides caution on the use of 3D printing to make masks and other PPE for individuals on the front lines of the Covid-19 crisis.

3D printed implants for treatment of bone defects

BellaSeno GmbH will design and manufacture personalized, 3D-printed, absorbable implants suitable for the treatment of diabetes patients with bone defects.

Printable rubber-like material could replace human tissue

Researchers have created a material with a unique set of properties, which could act as a replacement for human tissue in medical procedures.

An universal carrier ink for 3D printing

Researchers have produced a gel from cellulose fibres and biodegradable nanoparticles that liquifies when pressed through the nozzle of a 3D printer, but then quickly returns to its original shape.

4D printing may speed development of therapeutics

Researchers have created a 4D printer capable of constructing patterned surfaces that recreate the complexity of cell surfaces.

Producing human tissue in space

The University of Zurich has sent adult human stem cells to the International Space Station to explore the production of human tissue in weightlessness.

Imaging technique to study 3D printed brain tumors

Researchers demonstrated a methodology that combines the bioprinting and imaging of glioblastoma cells in a way that more closely models what happens inside the human body.

3D printed biomaterial enables forming of blood vessels

An international team of scientists have discovered a new material that can be 3D printed to create tissue-like vascular structures. In a new study, researchers have developed a way to 3D print graphene oxide with a protein which can organise into tubular structures that replicate some properties of vascular tissue.