Here’s the scoop!
- Engineers from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, have developed a tiny flexible 3D bioprinter that can be inserted into the body like an endoscope.
- The bioprinter has the ability to 3D print living cells inside the human body in real-time, allowing for precise reconstruction of three-dimensional wounds inside the body.
- With further development, the technology could be used by medical professionals to access hard-to-reach areas inside the body via small skin incisions or natural orifices.
Australian engineers from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, have created a remarkable new device that can act as a three-in-one surgical tool while also 3D-printing living cells inside the human body in real-time. The device includes a water jet, scalpel, and endoscopic camera, and it has the potential to revolutionize the way doctors approach complex surgeries.
The tiny, flexible 3D bioprinter, which was developed by Dr. Thanh Nho Do and his Ph.D. student, Mai Thanh Thai, can be inserted into the body just like an endoscope, delivering multilayered biomaterials onto the surface of internal organs and tissues.
This means that biomaterials can be directly delivered into the target tissue or organs with a minimally invasive approach, allowing for precise reconstruction of three-dimensional wounds inside the body, such as gastric wall injuries or damage and disease inside the colon.
Dr. Do and his team have already tested the device inside an artificial colon, as well as 3D-printing a variety of materials with different shapes on the surface of a pig’s kidney. The next step is in vivo testing on living animals to demonstrate the device’s practical use.
With further development, the technology could be used by medical professionals to access hard-to-reach areas inside the body via small skin incisions or natural orifices. The researchers also plan to implement additional features, such as an integrated camera and real-time scanning system, which would reconstruct the 3D tomography of the moving tissue inside the body.
Source: goodnewsnetwork.org
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