In 1983, Chuck Hall, the father of 3D printing, built the world's first 3D printer and used it to print a tiny eyewash cup. It was just a cup; it was small, dark and unassuming. But that cup paved the way for a quiet revolution that is now revolutionizing the medical industry.
Here are just a few of the ways 3D printing is already revolutionizing the healthcare industry.
Personalized prosthesis
AmandaBoxtel is a patient who is paralyzed from the waist down. A traditional machine suit designed by EksoBionics allowed her to move again, but could not maintain the proportionality and freedom of normal movement when doing a series of movements and was uncomfortable to use.
Unlike mass-produced traditional prostheses, 3D-printed prostheses are customized for each user. By digitally capturing Amanda's unique measurements and creating a customized suit for her, just like a tailor would, a beautiful yet lightweight design is made that fits Amanda perfectly.
The same technology can now be used to make great-looking, shape-retaining ventilated scoliosis braces, prosthetics for amputees, and more.
Bioprinting and tissue engineering
Surgeon Jason Chuen, writing in the latest issue of the Medical Journal of Australia, alerts his peers to a major technological breakthrough that will ultimately eliminate the need for human organ transplants. Here's how it works:
3D printing is achieved by instructing a computer to stack layer upon layer of a specific material (usually plastic or metal powder), casting one layer at a time until the final product (whether it's a toy, a pair of sunglasses or a scoliosis brace) is made. Medical technology is now capitalizing on this technology by using the same method to create miniature organs ("organoids"), but with stem cells as the production material. Once printed, these organoids could be grown inside the patient's body in the future, and could take on important roles when organs such as the kidneys or liver fail.
3D-printed skin for burn victims
This may sound like a scene from Mary Shelley's sci-fi masterpiece Frankenstein, but the implications and cost savings make this technological breakthrough in the field of 3D printing particularly significant. For centuries, when it came to healing broken skin, burn victims had extremely limited options. Skin grafts are excruciatingly painful and leave horrific scars; hydrotherapy solutions have had limited success. But researchers in Spain have now used the principles of 3D printing to demonstrate a prototype 3D bioprinter that can generate human skin. Using bioink containing human plasma as well as extracts of materials obtained from skin biopsies, the researchers were able to print about 100 square centimeters of human skin in about half an hour. The technology is promising for a wide range of burn victims.
Pharmacology
Finally, 3D printing has the promise of disrupting the pharmaceutical world and greatly simplifying the daily lives of patients suffering from multiple diseases. Many people take multiple pills daily or weekly, and it can be confusing to know when to take these multiple pills, understand pill interactions, and dosage requirements (morning, evening, on an empty stomach or not).
But 3D printing embodies precision. Unlike traditionally manufactured capsules, 3D-printed pills hold several medications at the same time, each with a different release time. This so-called "multi-pill" concept has been tested on diabetics, and the results show promise.
Conclusion
In the medical world, where drugs/therapies, organs and devices are essential components, the promising 3D printing is bound to revolutionize the medical world. Thanks to the advantages of precision, speed and drastic cost reductions, the way we treat and manage our physical health will never be the same again, and that's worth celebrating.