IISc hosts the first 3D printer for silicone implants.
Bengaluru: Prayasta, winner of this year’s National Startup Technology Award, on Wednesday launched the world’s first 3D printer for implant-grade silicone that will be housed at the Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering (BSSE), Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
To formalize this partnership, an MoU was signed in the spring.
“We are excited to join hands with Prayasta as it offers a production-ready 3D printing technology for elastomers such as silicone, and can positively impact the quality of healthcare delivery,” said Navakanta Bhat, Dean, Division of Interdisciplinary Sciences, IISc.
Prayasta’s specialised 3D printer, Silimac, can directly 3D print implant-grade silicone material to make an implant within the hospital itself. 3D printing allows personalized implants to be made on a one-to-1 basis. This not only improves outcomes for patients but also reduces the time required for standard implants to achieve the same results.
Silimac can be used to create 3D printed implants. They can be customized in terms not only of shape, size, and contour but also in terms weight, stiffness, and touch and feels.
As the world is moving towards personalised medicine, personalising implants makes even more sense as implants are going to be there in the patients’ bodies permanently for the rest of their lives.
Prayasta also created a design method called Novel Internal Architecture that can make breast implants leak-proof and suturable. This eliminates the risk of post-implantation displacements and prevents future leakage.
Prayasta and IISc are joining forces to accelerate the translation of personalised, soft tissue implants from research into hospitals, to test 3D printerability of novel materials in an expedited mode, and to develop the skills needed to quickly penetrate the market for 3D printing technology.
Vikas Garg, Co-founder, Prayasta, said, “Silicone is one of the best implantable materials today and yet not 3D printable. Due to the two-part requirement of cross-linking, form factor, high viscosity, silicone is not compatible with conventional printers. That is why, we have taken a fresh approach and developed a novel 3D printing technology from scratch.”
“It’s an absolute honour to partner with one of the most premier science institutes in India. We look forward to creating the future of better and personalised healthcare solutions together,” added Shilpi Sen, Co-founder, Prayasta.
–IANS
