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VA researchers working on 3D-printed artificial lung

by Thomas Dworetzky, Contributing Reporter | September 26, 2018
3D Printing

This is just the latest application of 3D printing technology in the medical sector. In August, for example, chemically coated ceramic implants successfully guided the regrowth of missing bone in lab animals while “steadily dissolving,” researchers at NYU School of Medicine and NYU College of Dentistry reported in the Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine.

"Our 3D scaffold represents the best implant in development because of its ability to regenerate real bone," study senior investigator and NYU Dentistry Professor Paulo Coelho said in a statement, adding, “our latest study results move us closer to clinical trials and potential bone implants for children living with skull deformations since birth, as well as for veterans seeking to repair damaged limbs.”

The printing technology has been invaluable for creating exact models to work out tricky surgery in advance, as well. In May, surgeons at Guy’s and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in London produced models to help plan for safely implanting a kidney from a young child's father – the first time this technology was used to map out a successful transplant of an adult kidney into a small child with anatomical complexities.

“The ability to print a 3D model of the patient’s anatomy in varying textures, with the intricacies of the blood vessels clearly visible within it, enables us to differentiate critical anatomical relations between structures,” Pankaj Chandak, the transplant registrar at Guy’s and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, told HCB News. “The flexible materials also allowed us to better mimic the flexibility of organs within the abdomen for simulation of the surgical environment.”

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