Bioprinting will be a future technology that can be used to repair damaged organs.

It appears that the fundamental step towards 3D bioprinting within the human body has been taken. Researchers from the University of New South Wales in Australia have created a robotic arm that can 3D-print living cells within the human body. This could revolutionize surgical procedures.

F3DB is the name of this prototype printing device. It looks like a miniature robotic arm. It can be used to 3D print living cells directly onto organs like the kidney. The scientists tested the device in an artificial colon to see if it could reach the target organ.

Three-dimensional bioprinting consists in producing biomedical parts from ‘bioinks’. It has never been used outside of the body. The new research examines how it could directly be used on the organs of a patient in order to rebuild damaged tissue.

The team’s work has led to the creation of a tiny 3D biological printer with a rotating head that can be inserted into the body like an endoscope, in order to ‘print’ cells directly on the surface of internal organs. Two printing methods are possible: preprogrammed shapes, or manually created shapes during the intervention.

To clean blood and remove excess tissue from the area while printing, water can be directed through thenozzle. The smallest prototype produced has a diameter of about 12mm. However, all future equipment will likely be smaller.

The next step in the technology’s development will be testing on live animals. The developers claim that a model that is suitable for professionals could be made within five to seven year. It could then be used for accessing areas that are hard to reach with traditional incisions like injuries to the gastric wall, disease-related damage to the colon, and other issues.

The entire process is described in an article published by Advanced Science. – AFP Relaxnews