News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Triastek, Inc., a company specializing in 3D printing of pharmaceuticals, entered into a collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company, a leading global pharmaceutical company, to leverage the advantages of MED 3D printing technology to enable precisely targeted and programmed release of drugs in specific regions of the GI tract.
Researchers have used volumetric 3D printing to fabricate drug-loaded tablets within a matter of seconds, reportedly for the first time.
3D Systems has entered the radiation oncology market with FDA 510(k) clearance of VSP Bolus, a solution designed to deliver high-quality patient-specific radiotherapy treatment accessories. As the latest addition to the company’s VSP portfolio of personalized medical devices, VSP Bolus is the only solution on the market that offers a full design and production service based on the patient’s treatment plan. As a result, radiotherapy providers do not need specialized design software and expertise, allowing them to focus directly on patient treatment and care. 3D Systems’ deep experience in additive manufacturing of medical devices enables the company to deliver 3D printed, biocompatible patient-specific boluses that can improve therapy modulation as well as patient comfort.
Orion Medical GmbH, founded in Cham, Switzerland in March 2022, is a manufacturing solutions provider for the medical devices industry. The company is closely linked to Orion Additive Manufacturing GmbH (Orion AM), an established manufacturer of 3D printing systems for high-performance polymers based in Berlin, Germany. The key advantage of Orion Medical’s additive manufacturing technology is its Thermal Radiation Heating (TRH) system, which enables the 3D printing of customized medical devices on-demand with injection-molded strength and 100% density.
Researchers at the University of Santiago de Compostela, MERLN Institute University College London (UCL) and UCL spin-out FabRx, have come up with a way of 3D printing tablets inside of seven seconds.
Evonik is expanding its portfolio of 3D printable biomaterials for medical technology: The specialty chemicals company has developed VESTAKEEP iC4800 3DF, a new osteoconductive PEEK filament, for 3D printed implants, that improves fusion between bone and implants. The high-performance polymer can be processed in common extrusion-based 3D printing technologies such as fused filament fabrication (FFF).
CurifyLabs and Natural Machines have entered a strategic partnership to develop a technology that enables customized medicine production through 3D printing – producing personalized medicines for human and veterinary patients, on-site in pharmacies and hospitals. Compounding is the manual preparation of individualized drug treatments for patients where an optimal treatment cannot be achieved with the currently available medicinal products. There are many talented pharmacists who are able to compound drugs manually but the process is ineffective and lacks quality control.
A Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust patient was the first person in the world to be supplied solely with a fully digital 3D printed prosthetic eye on 25 November 2021. He first tried his eye on 11 November alongside a traditional acrylic prosthetic. By going home on 25 November with just his printed eye, he is the first patient to use a 3D printed eye as their sole prosthetic.
The NOVOPLASM consortium has announced it is the “first in the world” to develop cold plasma technology for the treatment of infected burns and the wound healing of skin grafts.
Bioconvergence company BICO is partnering with Nanochon, a startup developing regenerative joint replacements. Under the terms of the deal, Nanochon will purchase $1.5 million worth of products and services from BICO’s SCIENION to develop 3D printed regenerative joint implants. Nanochon’s novel joint implant technology promises to deliver faster and more successful recoveries for patients while reducing costs to health providers, payers, and patients.
Fluicell, a Sweden-based bioprinting startup founded in 2012 as a spin-out of the Chalmers University of Technology, has undertaken research to develop medicinal products for treating type 1 diabetes. The project, which recently achieved a significant milestone, is based on biocomposite tissues generated by Fluicell’s Biopixlar system.
restor3d merger with Kinos Medical, an expert total ankle replacement company. restor3d was founded with a mission to enable surgeons to repair and reconstruct the human body using 3D printing technologies, advanced biomaterials, and artificial intelligence. In 2018, the company invested in significant infrastructure and in-house manufacturing capabilities to expand its offering of implants in orthopedic and spine indications. With a robust pipeline of products slated for regulatory submission, recent FDA clearances include osteotomy wedges and cervical interbody fusion implants. The merger with Kinos Medical will accelerate restor3d’s expansion into the high-growth foot and ankle market in the U.S.
3D printer manufacturer 3D Systems has announced a co-development agreement with CollPlant, a regenerative medicine firm, to develop 3D bioprinted soft tissue structures for breast reconstruction treatments.
A group of Korean scientists have developed a low-cost 3D printed adapter that turns everyday smartphones into endoscopic vocal cord disease diagnostic tools.
3D LifePrints, a leading 3D technology company providing innovative solutions to the medical sector, has achieved ISO 13485:2016 certification for its Quality Management System (QMS).
Aetrex Worldwide launched Albert 3DFit, a sleek and modern 3D foot scanner created to revolutionize the retail industry by making 3D fit technology available to stores of all sizes. Offering the most innovative technologies, this scanner can calculate customers’ 3D foot measurements in less than 10 seconds with an accuracy of up to 1 millimeter. It features Aetrex’s FitGenius AI platform, which matches customers’ unique foot profiles with their ideal footwear styles and sizes to provide personalized footwear recommendations that can be accessed across a retailer’s digital shopping platforms after leaving the store.
Advanced Development of Additive Manufacturing (A.D.A.M.) is on the cusp of releasing 3D-printed bioresorbable bone implants. The implants would, if successful, be completely absorbed by the body. Recovery times would improve; patients would undergo fewer surgeries; the implant is personalized to each patient.
Population aging is one of Europe’s great challenges in the 21st century. By 2024, 22% of Europeans are expected to be over 65. Patients suffering from chronic joint detop fects or defects in the oral and maxillofacial regions have a significantly reduced quality of life and are continually dependent on health care. The Covid-19 crisis has shown how dangerous chronically overcrowded hospitals and large cohorts of care-dependent and risk-grouped patients can become. Therefore, science and technology must work together to ensure that living longer can be synonymous with living well. INKplant, a project funded by the European Union H2020, was conceived to face this challenge and democratize its new solutions.
Engineers from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, have developed a 3D bioprinting method using magnets to rapidly produce cell clusters.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have used fine-scale 3D bioprinting and melt electrowriting to grow highly uniform cell cultures.
Two postdoctoral researchers at UC Santa Barbara, Renxuan Xie and Sanjoy Mukherjee, developed the first 3D-printable “bottlebrush” elastomer. The new material results in printed objects that have unusual softness and elasticity that closely resemble those of human tissue. The researchers’ findings were published in the journal Science Advances.
CollPlant Biotechnologies released a letter from its Chief Executive Officer, Yehiel Tal, to its shareholders. The letter summarizes a strong year for the company and its shareholders, which has benefitted from the uptick in 3D printing research and interest throughout 2020 to position itself for an even stronger 2021. The letter reads as follows:
3D-printed orthodontics have come a long way in the past three years, and Carbon and Candid’s new partnership to produce models for clear aligners that straighten teeth is grist for this mill. Carbon’s L1 printers and DLS process allow Candid to introduce Candid Pro, its “orthodontics-as-a-service” doctor-driven clear aligner therapy. This service offers customized, on-demand clear aligners designed specifically for dental and orthodontic practices. The entire service is delivered on Candid’s digital platform.
Once thought destined mainly for prototyping, additive manufacturing is now increasingly employed in the development of spare parts, small series production and tooling in forward-thinking manufacturing industries such as aerospace, electronics, automotive and medical devices. Among industries at the forefront of innovative manufacturing, the medical sector has emerged as a major segment driving the growth of additive manufacturing: France’s 3D MedLab operates at the forefront of this segment
nAngioDerm, a regenerative medicine project partnered with Microlight3D, a French ultra-high-resolution 3D printer manufacturer, has received funding in the amount of €747,000 to aid the healing of wounds from ulcers or major burns.
FabRx, a British 3D printed pharmaceuticals company, has developed personalized medicine for children with the rare metabolic disorder, maple syrup urine disease (MSUD).
Merck, the global pharmaceutical company, has announced plans to work with AMCM, an EOS Group company that builds custom additive manufacturing machines. The two companies will work on developing and producing 3D printed tablets, first for clinical trials, then later for commercial manufacturing.
Chinese 3D printing technology startup Triastek has raised $15 million in Series A funding to accelerate the research and development of its 3D printed drugs.