It becomes possible print 3D fabrics directly in the body Human: it is possible to do it thanks to an innovative technique that exploits the ultrasound and that it was experimented successfully in mice. Published in Science magazine, the result is due to research coordinated by Ehsan Davooti, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and opens new perspectives for the medicine of the future.
3D printing has had an important impact in some sectors of surgery because it allows you to build custom -made systemslike one prosthesis or parts of tissue to be implanted, but it was so far limited by the need to print the material outside of the body.
For years we had been looking for the way to produce systems directly in the bodyfor example during surgery, using Biocompatible and soft materialslike gelwhich can be mused to taste and then made rigid. The main obstacle was the need to use ultraviolet light (similar to the technique used by dentists for fillings) to do solidify the materials used in 3D printing.
Californian researchers have instead developed one new technique Of 3D printing which uses the ultrasound to make the gels solidify used by the surgeon to build a system. This allows you to make complex structures inside fabrics up to 4 centimeters thickwith one resolution of 150 micrometers.
The structures can then be crystallized using a sort of ultrasound from the outside. The same method has also been tested in mice to implant gelatinous bags capable of releasing drugs, for example chemotherapy, on command and in a localized way or to create electrodes to monitor the electrical activity of the tissues.
Reserved reproduction © Copyright Ansa
Source: Ansa
I am a journalist with over 6 years of experience working in the news industry. I currently work as an author for Global Happenings, and my coverage focuses on Technology news. I have written for various publications, including Reuters, The New York Times and The Guardian.
