Three-dimensional bone printing
Americans have developed a material for printing bones on a 3D printerCopper news
American scientists have created a semblance of bone tissue, from which a number of prostheses were made using a three-dimensional printer. According to the BBC (Engineers pioneer use of 3D printer to create new bones, the study was conducted by a group of specialists from Washington State University in Pullman under the leadership of Susmita Bose.
Bose and her colleagues have been developing the optimal composition for the manufacture of bone prostheses for four years. As a basis, they used the calcium salt of phosphoric acid (calcium orthophosphate). The frame of the future prosthesis was made of this material, which was subsequently covered with precursors of bone tissue cells.
To improve the characteristics of artificial bones, the researchers added silicon dioxide and zinc oxide to the base material. After that, the frame was fired in a special furnace at a temperature of 1250 degrees Celsius. As a result, the compressive strength of the material increased by 2.5 times compared to the initial one.
Thanks to the additives, the rate of bone formation on the surface of the prosthesis has also increased. During laboratory experiments, the formation of new tissue began within a week after covering the frame with progenitor cells.
The researchers suggested using this technology in the treatment of various bone injuries. The exact size and shape of the defect of a particular bone will help determine the tomography. After that, it will remain to "print" the frame of the corresponding prosthesis, cover it with a layer of bone tissue and implant it to the patient.
(You can see how this happens on the video given in the WSU press release:
3D printer used to make bone-like material – VM.)
In March 2011, a printer for printing human organs was presented at the TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) conference in Long Beach, California. Using the patient's own tissues, the device reproduces the structure of a given organ, including vessels, in layers. The whole process takes from six to seven hours.
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05.12.2011