Australian researchers have designed a small, handheld 3D printing biopen that can allow surgeons to 'draw' human stem cells during surgeries.
The device, developed by researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) and St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, is designed to allow surgeons to sculpt customised cartilage implants during surgery.
Using a hydrogel bio-ink to carry and support living human stem cells, and a low powered light source to solidify the ink, the pen delivers a cell survival rate in excess of 97 per cent.
3D bioprinters have the potential to revolutionise tissue engineering - they can be used to print cells, layer-by-layer, to build up artificial tissues for implantation.
However, in some applications, such as cartilage repair, the exact geometry of an implant cannot be precisely known prior to surgery. This makes it extremely difficult to pre-prepare an artificial cartilage implant.
The biopen is held in the surgeon's hands, allowing the surgeon unprecedented control in treating defects by filling them with bespoke scaffolds.
"The development of this type of technology is only possible with interactions between scientists and clinicians - clinicians to identify the problem and scientists to develop a solution," said Peter Choong, Director of Orthopaedics at St Vincent's Hospital, who developed the concept with ACES Director Gordon Wallace.
The team designed the biopen with the practical constraints of surgery in mind and fabricated it using 3D printed medical grade plastic and titanium.
The device is small, lightweight, ergonomic and sterilisable. A low powered light source is fixed to the device and solidifies the inks during dispensing.
The research was published in the journal Biofabrication.
