TAGS: 3D Printing Medical
The engineers from University at Buffalo demonstrate a 3D-printing method to produce human tissue and organs using hydrogels. The recently developed technology is 10-50 times faster than the industry standard, and it works with large sample sizes that have been very difficult to achieve previously.
Center of the Research
The research centers on a 3D printing method called stereolithography and jelly-like materials known as hydrogels, which are used to create, among things, diapers, contact lenses and scaffolds in tissue engineering.
The latter application is particularly useful in 3D printing, and it’s something the research team spent a major part of its effort optimizing to achieve its incredibly fast and accurate 3D printing technique.
Suitable for Printing Cells
Researchers say the method is particularly suitable for printing cells with embedded blood vessel networks, a nascent technology expected to be a central part of the production of 3D-printed human tissue and organs.
“
Our method allows for the rapid printing of centimeter-sized hydrogel models. It significantly reduces part deformation and cellular injuries caused by the prolonged exposure to the environmental stresses you commonly see in conventional 3D printing methods,” says Chi Zhou, PhD, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering.
Source: University at Buffalo