Bioprinting. 3 - D printers inmodernmedicine.. Katherine Oleksenko

Bioprinting

3 - D printers inmodernmedicine.

Katherine Oleksenko

KPI, Faculty of biotechnologies & bioengineering

· 3-D printers work as usual paper printers, being constructed(layer by layer) from various amount of 2-D layers, forming the real 3-D objects. It uses unusual inks, such as: wood, metals, polymers, ceramics, luminous, PLA, ABS, Nylon filaments. As a result we get the real 3-D, a highly complex object.

· Bioprinters artificially construct living tissue by outputting layer-upon-layer of living cells where required, building an organic object in multiple thin layers. Instead of inks, plastics and other artificial materials, science and medical labs use the actual living stem cells to replicate organs that a body can recognize and accept. That gives the possibility to make a patient-specific implant. For example the auricle, parts of skull, bones. Actually, due tobioprinters scientists can make replica of damaged organs or parts of a body.

· Printed skin is used for the replacement of burned wounds;

· Printed fragments of skull, legs even vertebras implants have replaced generally accepted titanium ones. These 3-D replicas, being perfectly matched and aseptic, are not rejected by an organism; Moreover, they are light, comfortable in use and wearing, easy to keep them clean;

· Hearts and bladders copies. Hearts, unlike bladders, still cannot be replaced by bioprinted replica because of lack of knowledge in combining different types of tissue technique. Such 3-D copies give the opportunity for surgeons rehearse the operation before transsection, so that surgery time reduces from 97 to 23 hours;

· Auricle replacement. The first try: first step is converting the 3-D image of a human ear into a digitized 'solid'ear using the printer to create the exact mold. Then, the mold is injected with collagen(tissue that forms the outer ear and nose) extracted from rat tails. 250 million cells from a cow ears were also injected. The collagen provides adependable scaffold upon which the cartilage is able to grow and thrive. The process really works fast. It takes less than half a day to create the mold, one day to print it, half an hour to inject the gel and then a few days in nourishing culture media, before it's ready to be implanted;

· Replacement of rudimentary jaws. The usual solution of this problem is tracheostomy (if left bronchus wouldn’t stop to collapse; couldn’t breathe normally). With 3-D printers there is an easier solution. First CV-scanner takesa patient’s skull picture (the creation of plastic jaw model is not for the replacement but for finding the possible way of transferringa defective jaw into the right one), then print an akin stencil which fits perfectly the lower round part of the face, drill hollows in facial bones for ratchets (for connectingthe skull and the implant). After all, it’s necessary to tug new jaws from time to time forcing bone cells to grow and fill stretched regions;

· Facial replicas. Stephen Power (injured in the motorcycle accident) and Eric Moger (large sub facial tumor). Their left cheekbone, eye socket, upper jaw and skull were damaged. They were given with based on the skull titanium replicas. Both substitution operations were held successfully;

· Skull replacement (2014). A woman from Netherlands has had the entire top section of her skull replaced with a transparent, plastic implant. She, suffering from a rare chronic bone disorder (the thickness of her cranium wasn’t 1. 5 centimeters (normal)but five centimeters), put her at risk of permanent brain damage. Such thickness pressed against the woman’s brain causing headaches and reducedeyesight. This is the first time a 3D-printed cranium has not been rejected by the patient.

· Without bioprintersand 3-D printers as well, the realization of such surgery works would be more challenging, risky and exhausting. The advent of 3-D printers that can print with the ink made of cells has offered a ray of hope for surgery and organs transplantation.

Sources:

1. “Makerbot for skin…? ” - 2010; /Adafruit/https: //blog. adafruit. com/2010/11/03/makerbot-for-skin// [ internet sources: blog];

2. New Yorker “How 3-D Printing Is Changing Medicine” -2014; /#3DxMedicine #3DThursday #3DPrinting/ Aafruit/https: //blog. adafruit. com/2014/12/04/new-yorker-how-3-d-printing-is-changing-medicine/[internet sources: blog];

3. Fascinating And Frightening Ways 3D Bioprinting Is The Next Big Thing In Medicine And Science – 2013; / #3dthursday/https: //blog. adafruit. com/2013/05/02/fascinating-and-frightening-ways-3d-bioprinting-is-the-next-big-thing-in-medicine-and-science-3dthursday/[internet sources: blog];

4. Neurosurgeons Save a Woman’s Life with the World’s First 3D-Printed Skull/Kevin Lee/ Inhabitat/ - 2014; /http: //inhabitat. com/neurosurgeons-save-a-womans-life-with-the-worlds-first-3d-printed-skull//[internet sources: blog];

5. 3D printing & medical applications: Carsten Engel at TEDxLiege/Carsten Enge/ TEDx talks. Toronoto. - 2014/https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=y87RmyBxKic/[internet sources: blog];

6. How 3D Printing Will Change Medicine/DogoNews – 2013/http: //www. dogonews. com/2013/9/15/how-3d-printing-will-change-medicine/page/4/ [ internet sources; ]