THE INQUIRER

3D Prit ing in Medicine By Just in Dewig

Developed in the 1980s, addit ive manufactur ing? bet ter known as 3D pr int ing? is the process of adding and pr int ing layers onto an already established two-dimensional design, transforming that two-dimensional design to a three-dimensional object . 3D pr int ing technology is st ill growing at a rapid rate, with new applicat ions constant ly being pioneered. Current applicat ions of 3D pr int ing can range from educat ional technology to automot ive equipment to the aerospace industry. All of these are large and complex industr ies, which have been improved in efficiency by the use of 3D pr int ing. However, there is one important field that ut ilizes this technology, but does not get as much at tent ion since it is st ill in its ear ly stages of development : the medical field. The medical field has an unbelievable amount of potent ial if 3D pr int ing software and development are applied and mastered. Since most medical procedures are performed in a clinical set t ing and on real pat ients, there?s less room for error. Therefore, tr ials and development of 3D pr int ing technology is at a disadvantage when compared to other industr ies, but that does not mean it doesn?t have potent ial. There are present ly four main applicat ions of computer-aided design and 3D pr int ing in the medical industry. This technology

could be used to replace human organs in transplants, manufacture cheaper versions of surgical instruments, produce improved prosthet ic limbs, and speed up surgical operat ions. Each of these four applicat ions of 3D pr int ing possesses growing potent ial for research and development , which researchers and surgeons are eager to explore as they str ive to advance surgical medicine. Human Organ Transplants Instead of dealing with the tradit ional r isks of an organ transplant from one individual to another, 3D pr int ing technology has allowed surgeons to ut ilize a technique called biopr int ing. Unlike the tradit ional 3D pr inters that use both plast ics and metals when creat ing objects, biopr inters employ a computer-guided pipet te to layer living cells on top one another like a tradit ional pr inter would do with plast ic. This substance, referred to as bio-ink, art ificially creates a living t issue inside a laboratory. These art ificially created t issues, known as organoids, can be used in laboratory research since they are miniature replicas of organs. Many organizat ions have been working to master this process and find new ways to apply it to the medical field. For example, the Wake Forest Inst itute in North Carolina announced that their laboratory successfully created a

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