A team of researchers, coordinated by Ehsan Davoodi of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is breaking new ground for future medicine with an innovative technique that allows 3D printing of tissue directly inside the human body. The result, so far successfully tested only on mice, has been published in the journal Science.
The discovery is the result of extensive research aimed at developing implants that can be made during surgery, using biocompatible materials that can be shaped manually by the surgeon and then made rigid.
Some areas of surgery have already adopted 3D printing to create customized implants, such as prostheses or portions of tissue for implantation. However, until now these materials could only be printed on the outside of the body. One of the main obstacles was the need to use ultraviolet light, similar to that used by dentists for fillings, to solidify the materials used in printing.
Instead, the new methodology developed by California researchers is based on the use of ultrasound, which allows gels used to build implants to harden directly in the body. This technique allows the fabrication of complex structures within tissues up to 4 centimeters thick, with a resolution of 150 micrometers. The structures can later be crystallized from the outside using a kind of ultrasound scanner.
The researchers’ goal is to expand the application of this technique beyond the surgical field for medical and therapeutic uses. Tests on mice have shown the possibility of implanting gelatinous sacs capable of localized drug or chemotherapy delivery, or monitoring the electrical activity of tissues.
