Written by Noah Bailey | Edited by Alexander Alva
Photo by Anna Shvets
Surgery continuously undergoes massive change due to recent advancements and breakthroughs in AI, genetic engineering, stem cell research, and other areas, but there are still limitations in the field such as patient aftermath, cost, tech efficiency, and many other issues [6]. One promising solution for these hindrances involves the integration of bioprinting, the process of printing cells to engineer living tissue structures. Bioprinting was conceived as a medical tool in 1999 and has since been implemented through several techniques that include but are not limited to: inkjet printing–the most affordable type of bioprinting that involves a cartridge of bioink–and stereolithography, which uses UV light to harden bioink prints [1] [2]. Although bioprinting has yet to be fully utilized in surgical applications, there is a general prospect that the technology will revolutionize the medical industry. In theory, bioprinting could reduce costs, upgrade efficiency, and increase patient safety as the medical industry accomplishes the shift from the lab to the operating room over time.
Certain tissues, notably neural and muscular tissues, made through bioprinting manufacturing have shown to be highly useful for surgical therapies. A 2006 study by Tao Xu et al. showed that embryonic hippocampal and cortical cells (neural stem cells) can survive 3D inkjet bioprinting and retain complete functionality, at least in organisms such as rats, once printed into multicellular structures [3]. This implies that bioprinting in vivo can regenerate cells to damaged brain tissue safely and effectively, corroborating its viability in improving neurosurgical therapy. In 2023, Oxford University researchers have taken a significant step forward by creating brain tissue cells, via a bioprinting method called droplet printing, that successfully interacts with the target brain tissue without complications [4]. Thus, future surgeons will likely have the means to bio-print neural tissues and seamlessly replace a patient’s missing or damaged brain matter. Muscular regeneration therapy would be practiced in a similar style as well. As an example of this, UConn Health has developed a handheld device that uses new printing material for attaching tissue to wounded areas of musculoskeletal regions without the need for sutures [5]. In other words, it’s also perceived that bioprinting will negate some traditional aspects of surgery and reduce the amount of work or equipment needed to complete procedures.
Bioprinting will not only transform surgery and medicine, but it will also radically impact individual lives for the better. The transfer of bioprinting to personal healthcare, however, is currently hindered by the instability of relatively larger printed structures, the problem of host-incompatibility and immunocompromising vulnerability, and the complex interactions of fabricated tissues in human subjects [1] [2]. More research is needed to improve design precision, the scale of tissue design, and 4D bioprinting in which transplantable organs react to biological stimuli and readily adapt to new physiological environments [2].
References:
1. Lam, E. H. Y., Yu, F., Zhu, S., & Wang, Z. (2023). 3D Bioprinting for Next-Generation Personalized Medicine. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(7), 6357. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms24076357
2. Mendoza-Cerezo, L., Jesús, M. R., Macías-García, A., Marcos-Romero, A. C., & Díaz-Parralejo, A. (2023). Evolution of bioprinting and current applications. International journal of bioprinting, 9(4), 742. https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.742
3. Tao Xu, Cassie A. Gregory, Peter Molnar, Xiaofeng Cui, Sahil Jalota, Sarit B. Bhaduri, Thomas Boland. (2006). Viability and electrophysiology of neural cell structures generated by the inkjet printing method, Biomaterials, 27(19), 3580-3588, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2006.01.048.
4. M., M. (2023). 3D bioprinting opens doors for brain injury treatment. 3Dnatives. https://www.3dnatives.com/en/3d-bioprinting-opens-doors-for-brain-injury-treatment-131020235/#
5. Pennington, C. (2023). Science in seconds: Handheld 3D bioprinters to treat musculoskeletal injuries. UConn Today. https://today.uconn.edu/2023/10/science-in-seconds-handheld-3d-bioprinters-to-treat-musculoskeletal-injuries/#
6. Bfw. (2021). Top 5 current problems being faced in surgery. BFW Inc. https://www.bfwinc.com/current-problems-in-surgery/