The fast 3D printing method moves towards 3D printed organs

It looks like science fiction: a machine dives into a shallow tank of translucent yellow goo and pulls what becomes a life-size hand.

But the seven-second video, which is accelerated from 19 minutes, is real.

The hand, which would take six hours to create using conventional 3-D printing methods, demonstrates what University at Buffalo engineers say is a progress toward human tissues and organs printed in 3-D – biotechnology that could eventually save countless lives lost due to scarcity of donor organs.

“The technology we developed is 10-50 times faster than the industry standard and works with large sample sizes that were very difficult to achieve previously,” says study co-author Ruogang Zhao, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical engineering.

The work is described in a study published on February 15 in the journal. Advanced Health Materials.

It focuses on a 3-D printing method called stereolithography and gelatinous materials known as hydrogels, which are used to create, among other things, diapers, contact lenses and supports in tissue engineering.

The latter application is particularly useful in 3-D printing and is something that the research team has spent much of its effort on optimizing to achieve its incredibly fast and accurate 3-D printing technique.

“Our method allows for quick printing of centimeter hydrogel models. It significantly reduces the deformation of parts and cell injuries caused by prolonged exposure to environmental stresses that you normally see in conventional 3-D printing methods,” says another co-study. lead author, Chi Zhou, Ph.D., associate professor of industrial and systems engineering.

The researchers say the method is particularly suitable for printing cells with networks of embedded blood vessels, a nascent technology that is expected to be a central part of the production of 3D printed human tissues and organs.