Yet another 3D printer use.
If you’ve been following tech news then you know that 3D printers are capable of some pretty amazing things. At the entry level these printers are becoming drastically more affordable and more accessible, and at the professional level they are accomplishing feats that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago. The latest science fiction-like advance in 3D printing is one that could have a significant impact on our health and well-being, as opposed to our gadgets: scientists in Germany have printed artificial blood vessels…
The vessels are being created using 3D printing and multiphoton polymerization, a process in which monomers (an atom or molecule) are used as the building blocks in order to create more complex structures. The “photon” part of the name means that powerful lasers are directed at very tiny areas in order to kick off a chemical reaction of some sort.
It’s not the first time that an attempt has been made to create artificial blood vessels, which are in high demand, but it seems to be the most promising to date. The 3D printed vessels are currently in their testing phase and while the techniques appear to be sound it’s not clear if the vessels have been used in person yet (it seems to be too early for that at this point, though).
Because the vessels created with 3D printers are artificial they need to be coated with biological material that the human body will not reject. These biomolecules are cleverly included in the 3D printer’s matrix material so that in addition to being coated with anti-rejection materials the vessels are actually composed of them.
The 3D printing of blood vessels could one day soon have a significant impact on people’s lives. The techniques are still in the early stages, but the larger point is that 3D printers don’t just make tiny plastic trinkets, they could soon create life-saving organs, affordable tools/parts for people in need, and other similarly important things.
