Tag Archives: 3D Printing

German scientists create see-through human organs

An employee works with stem cells at Dr. Ali Ertuerk's laboratory in Munich, Germany April 23, 2019. Mr. Ertuerk and his team developed DISCO transparency technology which is used by scientists from diverse biomedical research fields to generate high resolution views of intact rodent organs and bodies, a milestone on the way to generate 3D-bioprinted human organs. Picture taken April 23, 2019. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

By Ayhan Uyanik

MUNICH (Reuters) – Researchers in Germany have created transparent human organs using a new technology that could pave the way to print three-dimensional body parts such as kidneys for transplants.

A transparent mouse is pictured at the laboratory of Dr. Ali Ertuerk, Group Leader at the Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD) at the Ludwig Maximillian's University, in Munich, Germany April 23, 2019. Mr. Ertuerk and his team developed DISCO transparency technology which is used by scientists from diverse biomedical research fields to generate high resolution views of intact rodent organs and bodies, a milestone on the way to generate 3D-bioprinted human organs. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

A transparent mouse is pictured at the laboratory of Dr. Ali Ertuerk, Group Leader at the Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD) at the Ludwig Maximillian’s University, in Munich, Germany April 23, 2019. Mr. Ertuerk and his team developed DISCO transparency technology which is used by scientists from diverse biomedical research fields to generate high resolution views of intact rodent organs and bodies, a milestone on the way to generate 3D-bioprinted human organs. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

Scientists led by Ali Erturk at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich have developed a technique that uses a solvent to make organs such as the brain and kidneys transparent.

The organ is then scanned by lasers in a microscope that allows researchers to capture the entire structure, including the blood vessels and every single cell in its specific location.

Using this blueprint, researchers print out the scaffold of the organ. They then load the 3D printer with stem cells which act as “ink” and are injected into the correct position making the organ functional.

While 3D printing is already used widely to produce spare parts for industry, Erturk said the development marks a step forward for 3D printing in the medical field.

Until now 3D-printed organs lacked detailed cellular structures because they were based on images from computer tomography or MRI machines, he said.

“We can see where every single cell is located in transparent human organs. And then we can actually replicate exactly the same, using 3D bioprinting technology to make a real functional organ,” he said.

A transparent human brain is shown by Dr. Ali Ertuerk at his laboratory in Munich, Germany April 23, 2019. Mr. Ertuerk and his team developed DISCO transparency technology which is used by scientists from diverse biomedical research fields to generate high resolution views of intact rodent organs and bodies, a milestone on the way to generate 3D-bioprinted human organs. Picture taken April 23, 2019. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

A transparent human brain is shown by Dr. Ali Ertuerk at his laboratory in Munich, Germany April 23, 2019. Mr. Ertuerk and his team developed DISCO transparency technology which is used by scientists from diverse biomedical research fields to generate high resolution views of intact rodent organs and bodies, a milestone on the way to generate 3D-bioprinted human organs. Picture taken April 23, 2019. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

“Therefore, I believe we are much closer to a real human organ for the first time now.”

Erturk’s team plan to start by creating a bioprinted pancreas over the next 2-3 years and also hope to develop a kidney within 5-6 years.

The researchers will first test to see whether animals can survive with the bioprinted organs and could start clinical trials within 5-10 years, he said.

(Reporting by Ayhan Uyanik; Writing by Caroline Copley; Editing by Susan Fenton)

Dubai opens world’s first functioning 3D-printed office building

A view of the world's first functional 3D printed offices are seen in Dubai

DUBAI (Reuters) – Dubai has opened what it said was the world’s first functioning 3D-printed office building, part of a drive by the Gulf’s main tourism and business hub to develop technology that cuts costs and saves time.

The printers – used industrially and also on a smaller scale to make digitally designed, three-dimensional objects from plastic – have not been used much for building.

This one used a special mixture of cement, a Dubai government statement said, and reliability tests were done in Britain and China.

The one-storey prototype building, with floorspace of about 250 square meters (2,700 square feet), used a 20-foot (6-metre)by 120-foot by 40-foot printer, the government said.

“This is the first 3D-printed building in the world, and it’s not just a building, it has fully functional offices and staff,” the United Arab Emirates Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Mohamed Al Gergawi, said.

“We believe this is just the beginning. The world will change,” he said.

The arc-shaped office, built in 17 days and costing about $140,000, will be the temporary headquarters of Dubai Future Foundation – the company behind the project – is in the center of the city, near the Dubai International Financial Center.

Gergawi said studies estimated the technique could cut building time by 50-70 percent and labor costs by 50-80 percent. Dubai’s strategy was to have 25 percent of the buildings in the emirate printed by 2030, he said.

(Reporting by Lara Sukhtian; Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Louise Ireland)

FDA Approves First 3D Printed Drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first drug that is created using a 3D printer.

The drug, Spritam, is designed for the treatment of epilepsy according to a statement from the manufacturer Aprecia Pharmaceuticals.

The printed pills were created by what the company calls “ZipDose.”  The printer creates a pre-measured dose that dissolves in the mouth when you consume a liquid.  Tests showed the pill dissolves significantly faster than “fast melt” drugs because the pill is powdered medication bound together by the printer.

“As a result, Spritam enhances the patient experience — administration of even the largest strengths of levetiracetam with just a sip of liquid,” Aprecia said in a statement on Monday. “In addition, with Spritam there is no measuring required as each dose is individually packaged, making it easy to carry this treatment on the go.”

Scientists are hailing the decision by the FDA, saying that the use of 3D printing technology could revolutionize the way medication is given to patients.

The technology could allow doctors to put all of a patient’s medication into a single pill with precise monitoring of the dosages of each medication.  If the doctor needs to make a change, they just change the amount in the printing program for that patient.

Spirtam is the first 3D printed drug approved by the FDA.