3D Printed Ear
Scaffolds
(February 17, 2016) Using
a sophisticated, custom-designed 3D printer, regenerative medicine scientists
at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have proved that it is feasible to print
living tissue structures to replace injured or diseased tissue in patients.
Reporting in Nature Biotechnology, the scientists said they
printed ear, bone and muscle structures. When implanted in animals, the
structures matured into functional tissue and developed a system of blood
vessels. Most importantly, these early results indicate that the structures
have the right size, strength and function for use in humans.
“This novel tissue and organ printer is an important advance
in our quest to make replacement tissue for patients,” said Anthony Atala,
M.D., director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM)
and senior author on the study. “It can fabricate stable, human-scale tissue of
any shape. With further development, this technology could potentially be used
to print living tissue and organ structures for surgical implantation.”
(c) CAD/CAM
process for automated printing of 3D shape imitating target tissue or organ.
A 3D CAD model
developed from medical image data generates a visualized motion program,
which includes
instructions for XYZ stage movements and actuating pneumatic pressure
to achieve 3D
printing.
With funding from the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative
Medicine, a federally funded effort to apply regenerative medicine to
battlefield injuries, Atala’s team aims to implant bioprinted muscle, cartilage
and bone in patients in the future.
Tissue engineering is a science that aims to grow
replacement tissues and organs in the laboratory to help solve the shortage of
donated tissue available for transplants.
The precision of 3D printing makes it a promising method for replicating
the body’s complex tissues and organs. However, current printers based on
jetting, extrusion and laser-induced forward transfer cannot produce structures
with sufficient size or strength to implant in the body.
The Integrated Tissue and Organ Printing System (ITOP),
developed over a 10-year period by scientists at the Institute for Regenerative
Medicine, overcomes these challenges. The system deposits both bio-degradable,
plastic-like materials to form the tissue “shape” and water-based gels that
contain the cells. In addition, a strong, temporary outer structure is formed.
The printing process does not harm the cells.