3D printing technologies have evolved at an incredible speed meaning that everything from 3D printed meat, to 3D printed houses to even 3D printed guns.
Many 3D printers have boasted that this may be the future of printed organs but we haven’t gotten there yet. Now, a new study out of the The University of Buffalo may be the key to 3D printed organs.
“The technology we have developed is 10-50 times faster than the industry standard, and works with large sample sizes that were previously very difficult to achieve,” said a statement in co-lead author the study Ruogang Zhao, Ph.D. D., associate professor of biomedical engineering.
The researchers released a seven-second video taken up from 19 minutes and that shows a full hand being printed at the same time. This process typically required at least six hours using standard 3D printing methods.
The new method is called stereolithography and uses jelly-like materials called hydrogels.
“Our method allows fast printing of centimeter-sized hydrogel modules. It significantly reduces partial deformation and cell injury caused by the long period of environmental stress you typically see in conventional 3D printing methods, ”said the study’s other co-lead author, Chi Zhou , Ph.D., associate professor of industry and systems engineering.
The scientists also say that the method is particularly suitable for printing cells with rooted blood vessel networks. This type of technology is expected to be a key component of the production of human and organ 3D printing.
The work was supported by funding from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health. Additional funding was provided by the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The study was published in the journal Advanced healthcare products.