3D Printing Smart Bandages

Raman, Ritu

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/89927 Copy

Description

Title

3D Printing Smart Bandages

Author(s)

Raman, Ritu

Contributor(s)

Sinn-Hanlon, Janet

Issue Date

2016-04

Keyword(s)

Mechanical Science and Engineering

Abstract

3D printing has revolutionized engineering design and manufacturing in recent years by enabling the rapid fabrication of complex 3D structures. In stereolithography, a subtype of 3D printing, photosensitive liquid polymers are patterned into solid structures through exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. Recently, this approach has been optimized for printing living cells dispersed in biocompatible polymers, extending the possible applications of this technology to the realm of biomedical engineering. Shown here is a stereolithographic apparatus (microSLA) that works like a projector in reverse any grayscale image produced on a computer screen can be miniaturized and printed on the micro-scale using UV light. With the microSLA, we have patterned living cells at very high resolution (< 5 'm), providing a high-throughput way to manufacture living tissue and organ mimics from the bottom up. For example, we have printed a smart bandage containing living cells which, when placed on tissue that has been damaged by disease or trauma (such as a heart attack), can regenerate blood vessel growth in the area. This novel 3D printer could in future be used for a wide variety of applications, including drug testing, studies of disease development, and regenerative medicine.

Type of Resource

• text
• image

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/89927

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2016 Ritu Raman

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