Patients who need reconstructive surgery to replace body parts could soon have the procedure done using laboratory-grown cartridge. The newly developed process uses 3D printing technology and it was developed at the Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery at Morriston Hospital.
The process consists of growing donated human cells in an incubator. The cells are then mixed with a liquid, and the liquid is then printed using additive technology into the needed jelly-like shape onto a three-dimensional scaffold (based on a scan of the missing body part from the patient). The structure is then placed back into an incubator and held there until the appropriate size has been reached and the surgical procedure next takes place.
Key to the bio-printing process is not the printing technology itself, which is not dissimilar from that used to print plastics or metals, but with the incubation conditions and time. These need to be very exact for the cells to remain viable, retain function, and to divide; and for a robust structure to be created.
Speaking with BBC Science, lead researcher Professor Iain Whitaker said: “In simple terms, we’re trying to grow new tissue using human cells. We’re trialing using 3D printing which is a very exciting potential modality to make these relatively complex structures.”
The first trials will focus on rebuilding ears and noses. In the longer-term, researchers hope to grow replacement parts for bone, muscle and vessels. Much of this will be coordinated through the plastic and reconstructive surgery group at Swansea University’s medical school.