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| Makerbot image by Bre Pettis [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
Almost exactly a year ago I wrote a post on how 3-D printing is revolutionizing medicine. At the time there was a big surge in
using 3-D printers to build affordable prostheses. Exciting new
research has been published that will most likely broaden the
abilities of 3-D printing in the medical field- printing soft organs.
Yes, that's right, if researchers can
master this process, then we could build organs rather than wait for
organ donors to match up with those people in need. The biggest
challenge in 3-D printing for soft parts is that the 3-D building
process is additive, layer being built on layer. When you are adding
layers of soft material like gels on one another they begin to
collapse under their own weight. It is easy to print something out of
rigid material, like plastic, but not as easy to print cells.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University published their new technique in
Science Advances on October 23rd. In
order to provide support for the squishy materials needed to "print"
an organ, scientists found they could create a bath of semisolid
collagen gel that would hold the printed material together until it
was fully printed and solidified. This process has allowed them to
build soft tissues like heart parts and even a miniature brain!
Pretty amazing stuff! 3-D printing is
allowing anyone with access to a makerspace or a 3-D printing lab to
experiment, engineer and innovate. Do you have a makerspace in your
school or community? Access to materials to tinker with and the
advances in technology like 3-D printers has created opportunities
for research outside of settings like universities where it
traditionally happens.
Read more:
- Science: "3-D Printing Soft Body Parts: A Hard Problem That Just Got Easier"
- Science Daily: "Researchers Hack off-the-shelf 3-D printer towards rebuilding the heart"
- Share it! Science News: "A Medical Revolution: 3-D Printing"
3-D printing Resources:
- Libraries and Maker Culture: A Resource Guide
- Makerspace Activity Ideas- Share it! Science News on Pinterest
- 3-D Printing Academy
- Make Magazine: 3-D Printing and Imaging
- Share it! Science News: "A Medical Revolution: 3-D Printing"(Scroll to resources section at the bottom of the post!)
Here are some books about 3-D printing and design that you might want to check out (these are affiliate links).
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