New possibilities in 3D printing are completely changing the game for medical professionals, educators and researchers. It seems like the industry is making major advances every day. Just last month we saw a biotech company successfully implant live 3D printed blood vessels in Rhesus monkeys!
There are a few key areas within the medical field that 3D printing is posed to drastically impact over the next several years.
Pharmaceuticals
Many of the advantages of 3D printing for pharmaceuticals come down to personalized drugs. Personalized 3D printed pills could give patients the exact dosage of what they need based on their personal information, such as age, race and gender, instead of a standard set of dosages. A custom pill could be constructed of layers using a combination of drugs to treat multiple ailments with a single pill.
Pharmaceutical companies may also aim to control the drug release profiles of these pills, which is how a drug is broken down when taken by a patient. 3D printing makes it possible to print personalized drugs that facilitate targeted and controlled drug release for a more effective drug.
In addition to benefits to the patient, 3D printing will benefit pharmaceutical companies too. Just think about how much safer and cheaper drug research and testing will be when pharma companies can print human organs and tissue for testing environments.
Training & Education
By 3D printing models of human anatomy, medical students have access to anatomically accurate models and no longer need to train on a friend, animal or in the ER/OR on a patient who needs quick medical care. This also means trainees can use the models repeatedly, receiving guidance and feedback throughout the training, to refine their medical techniques.
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For example, the University of Minnesota has developed an Airway Intubation training model for the U.S. Army. They created different versions of the model to simulate burn victims and patients with unusual mouth and face anatomy so that trainees can practice intubation in a variety of scenarios they may encounter on the job.
This same concept is applied to 3D printed models for surgical planning. A 3D printed model of the blood vessels inside a woman’s brain helped surgeons in New York practice life-saving surgery. By printing a replica of her brain in a polymer that mimics human tissue, surgeons were able to more accurately plan their approach to and practice the operation.
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Medical Device Manufacturing and Medical Supplies
The argument is the same here as for any manufacturing process. Traditional manufacturing processes are costly and time consuming. 3D printing allows more design and tooling revisions in less time and allows for thorough testing that helps avoid expensive rework. You can quickly go from prototype to final product that is ready for mass production.
The same concept applies to medical supplies. One company taking an altruistic approach to making medical supplies is 3D4MD. 3D4MD has designed and tested a solar-powered, plug-and-play, ultra-portable 3D printing system that can manufacture a range of hygienic, effective and low-cost medical supplies at the point of use. Not only can healthcare workers visiting remote villages and make medical supplies on-site, these workers can also leave the 3D printers behind after teaching the local clinic and community how to design and 3D print their own solutions.
Bioprinting
Currently we’re seeing several biotech companies modeling and printing materials to be surgically implanted in patients, like screws, plates and chips for bone-grafts. Eventually we’ll see the same for scaffolds, tissue and organs made from a patient’s own cells (like the Rhesus monkeys).
For example, researchers at Queensland University of Technology, Australia, are developing an individualized, 3D printed cancer treatment that aims to targets the tumor instead of the whole body like you would see with chemotherapy treatments. Their newly developed gelatin-based hydrogel closely mimics human tissue allowing them to engineer 3D printed tumor microenvironments with which medical professionals can test different anti-cancer drug.
Prosthetics
With prosthetics priced anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000, 3D printing has been a huge game changer for making prosthetic limbs a reality for individuals who can’t afford such a high price tag. 3D printing allows for the creation of a completely custom prosthetic unique to the individual at a fraction of the cost, which is especially important for children who will outgrow their prosthetics every few years.
What’s making prosthetics even more affordable is the burgeoning communities looking to do good with 3D printing technology. One of the more popular communities is Enable, which allows anyone with a 3D printer can customize and create a prosthetic hand.
Many of the schools we work with have partnered with Enable to do just that. It’s incredible to see students at all grade levels designing and printing prosthetic hands for those in need.
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