Jun 23, 2016 | By Tess
3D printing advancements within the medical field are a truly global phenomenon. With doctors from all over the world spearheading some life-changing surgeries with 3D printed surgical guides and even implants, and with scientists developing 3D bioprinting at an astonishing rate, there is little doubt that our medical futures will be marked and impacted by additive manufacturing technologies. This time around, our story comes out of Russia, where a team of Russian researchers from the Siberian Federal University in Krasnoyarsk have developed a new and reportedly unique method of manufacturing bones, which includes 3D printing technologies and computed tomography.
Notably, the new method of 3D printing bones will use a fully biodegradable material called polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a bio-derived and biodegradable polymer. Catherine Shishatskiy, a doctor of biological sciences at the Siberian Federal University, explains that 3D printing technologies have allowed them enormous freedoms with their designs and bone creations. Additionally, thanks to tomographic technologies, such as CT scans and MRIs for instance, the level of accuracy attainable for 3D models is unprecedented. The combination of scanning and printing technologies has undeniably opened the doors for custom designed anatomical implants, such as 3D printed bones.
Constantine Kisterskiy, another representative from the Siberian Federal University, also noted that by using the biocompatible material for the additive manufacturing of bones, effectively fusing the material together layer by layer, they have eliminated the need for certain chemical structures and adhesive compositions. The 3D printing material in question was reportedly also developed by scientists from the Krasnoyarsk region in Russia through a previous research project. According to a Russian news source, Ekaterina Shishatskaya, a doctor of medicine at the SFU, was awarded a prize for her materials research in 2010.
The Russian researchers’ new method of 3D printing bones out of a biodegradable and biocompatible material is currently being tested for a number of standards tests and they are hoping for their innovative method be cleared by both Russian and International standards for implantable devices.
Up until now, the majority of 3D printed bone implants have been manufactured from a strong and durable titanium alloy, which seems to have had good results in a number of complicated surgeries. And while it remains to be seen whether polymer based bone implants will become the new norm, the Russian researchers certainly seem to be into something and there is never too little room in the field of innovation.
Titanium 3D printed implant
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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Amazing ! There's no limit to 3d printing in a near future a a multimaterial 3D printer will grow new limbs .
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