3D Printing In Medicine: Body Parts Created With The Push Of A Button! It takes just a single breakthrough to completely change our understanding of what technology can do. 3D printing is the latest “miracle� of modern technology that promises to shake up our old worldview and maybe even help us extend our lives. Technological progress is anything but linear. It depends on a broad array of factors ranging from economic to social, only coming through when the time is right, but once the floodgates give in, profound changes can happen practically overnight. For a long time, custom creation and sharing of tri-dimensional objects was the stuff of science fiction, but new generation of 3D printers is turning this fantasy into reality before our very eyes. Using computer-generated images as a blueprint, 3D printers create thin layers consisted of different materials and fuse them together to produce solid objects. This technology was first invented back in the late 1970’s, but it only reached commercial scale of exploitation in the past several years as the prices of equipment dropped while printing resolution was improved.
As the result, new applications for 3D models produced by this method are popping out at amazing pace in nearly all industries. Of course, medicine is one of the fields that accept innovative technologies very quickly if they demonstrate clear potential for saving lives and removing discomfort and 3D printing was not an exception. AS we speak, brilliant minds are devising new ways to alleviate human suffering with the help of this manufacturing process that allows for relatively inexpensive production of personalized items. Early initiatives in this direction are probably only scratching the surface and it is very difficult to estimate full impact this technology will have on healthcare protection in the long run, but the number of
incredible success stories has been on the continuous rise. Here are a few inspiring examples of innovative thinking in the service of human life that rely on 3D printing: Pushing the boundaries of possible When used to produce human tissues, 3D printing is called “bioprinting” and performed with specifically designed equipment. For obvious reasons, an increasing number of researchers see this technique as a great option for increasing pace of scientific discovery. To be sure, it isn’t possible to print entire organs that are ready to “plug and play”, but bioprinted tissues can be used to for laboratory tests crucial for development of functional body parts as well as new medicaments. For example, liver tissues are crucial for testing of pharmaceutical products for toxicity and readily available artificial liver cells can accelerate research by leaps and bounds, saving millions of dollars in the process. To prove this is not just a pipedream, in January 2014 California-based provider Organovo delivered the first 3Dprinted liver tissue to another laboratory, where it will be used for just the kind of tests described above. Organovo also claims to have successfully replicated a variety of human tissues, including bone, lung, peripheral nerve, as well as skeletal and cardiac muscle.
Meanwhile, another American institution has achieved unbelievable results with bioprinting. The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine is already developing human cells of around 30 different types and is looking to find practical applications for their work. Their most impressive feat to date was “printing” of skin cells directly to a burn wound, while automatically scanning depth and width of the wound and applying the right cells to right spots according to a detailed scheme. While this is not dissimilar to traditional skin grafting procedure, key difference is that “skin printing” requires far less healthy skin to work with, which can be essential for victims with extensive injuries. At this time, the procedure is still in the experimental phase, but with support from U.S. military it is expected that it could become practicable in the field within no more than 5 years. Bringing aid to forgotten places
One of the most important features of 3D printing technology is its portability, which allows for a wide range of applications in places that have few facilities otherwise. War-ravaged wilderness of Sudan is one such place where lack of roads and overwhelming poverty prevent many people from receiving adequate medical services. Started in November 2013, Project Daniel is a noble attempt to bring much-needed aid to amputees living in Sudan by using 3D printers to create customized and modular artificial limbs. Within the initial phase of the project, two printers were transported to a remote location in the Nuba Mountains and used to create prosthetic arms for local teenager Daniel Omar, who was previously unable to feed himself or take care of basic daily tasks. The machines remained there along with all necessary supplies, while local volunteers were trained to operate them so that any damage to prosthetics can be quickly and inexpensively repaired.
Project Daniel has some unusual characteristics: it relies on open-source technology but is sponsored by private companies such as Intel and Precipart. Author of the project Mick Ebeling decided he could retain more control if he negotiated with commercial brands than if he applied for NGO funding and so far he is perfectly happy with this pact. In return, the sponsors received a web film they can use to boost corporate image and position their brands as innovative and caring, so it appears all sides found common interest in this endeavour. As global technology brands become more and more socially aware, it is possible this model of humanitarian work could become a standard, particularly when hightech solutions like 3D printing are involved. Project Daniel certainly provides a template that could be effectively used in numerous places – for his part, Mr. Ebeling says he is currently working on plans to take 3D printers to other needy countries such as Sierra Leone, Colombia, Nicaragua, Vietnam and Cambodia. Don’t look away, it’s already happening! The future of 3D printing certainly looks very bright, but some important milestones are no longer in the distance. Earlier this year, doctors in Netherlands succeeded in replacing a portion of the patient’s skull with a sophisticated plastic model produced by 3D printing,
marking the first time that a body part that came out of a printer was implanted into the human body. The implant was manufactured by the Australian medical company Anatomics and was vastly superior to handmade implants that were used for the same purpose before new technology became available. The patient, who previously suffered severe headaches and loss of vision due to bone thickening in the skull, was able to recover completely and reported no ill-effects three months after the surgery was performed.
In this case, precision of 3D printing technology brought major improvements to an already effective treatment method, allowing the doctors to replace almost entire skull. Since the condition that was being treated in by no means rare, a successful outcome of the procedure comes as a great encouragement to patients with similar problems. Furthermore, medical professionals of various specializations could be inspired to attempt similar feats in their own fields and make smart use of 3D printing technology to design daring new treatment possibilities. While it’s probable that some ideas will inevitably fail, those that endure the reality test could transform medical science as we know it today and allow us to modify our bodies at will. If you think that’s exciting, stay tuned for new updates! Source: http://www.leafletdistributionteam.co.uk/blog/3d-printing-medicine-body-partscreated-push-button