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3D Printed Esophagus Successfully Transplanted Into Rats

In the race to 3D print and transplant seemingly every part of the human body, the esophagus has been a particular challenge for scientists and doctors.

But a team of Japanese researchers has now successfully transplanted a bio 3D Printed esophagus into rats.

 

 

The esophagus, which was printed using Cyfuse’s bio 3D printing software Regenova, maintained its structure after the transplant and even grew to be covered by natural tissue.

These findings by the Nagasaki University-based group could mean big strides toward the first 3D-printed esophageal transplant (esophagectomy) in humans.

Why Esophageal Transplants Are So Complicated  

An esophagectomy is the main treatment for esophagus cancer. The operation involves removing all or part of the esophagus, then restructuring it using part of another organ (like the stomach or colon).

Tissue engineering/decellularization (Image: HIA)

However, this method can lead to complications including acid reflux, abnormal narrowing of the esophagus, and dumping syndrome (when food moves too quickly from your stomach to the small intestine).

The materials used in these operations typically have low biocompatibility and are done via decellularization. This is when the intracellular parts of tissue are removed so all that remains is the exterior “skeleton” which can then be used in tissue regeneration and the creation of artificial organs.

While there is nothing wrong with this method and it’s been used in several successful esophageal-related studies, it does require using existing tissue. The benefit of the 3D printing technique is that the esophageal structure can be constructed using only cells.

New Technology For New Tubes

The Japanese team opted instead to print and install a scaffold-free and more tubular structure into their rats. The tube was made with a Regenova bio 3D printer using the Kenzan method. This process first assembles human cellular spheroids into the desired 3D shape. Then, the shape cultures in a bioreactor until the spheroids fuse together to achieve the appropriate strength and structure.

The Kenzan Method (Image: Phys.org)

After testing for strength and flexibility, they were then transplanted into five male adult rats. Each rat survived and their esophagi maintained their shape and structure with no signs of leakage or perforation even after being exposed to gastric juices after eating. More remarkably, after 30 days scientists couldn’t detect where the rats’ natural esophageal lining and the transplanted structure began, as it became completely engrafted with natural cells.

What’s Next?

Researchers cautioned in their conclusion that despite the encouraging results, their esophagi did not perform as well as natural ones. However, the possible benefits of these results extend far beyond your food tube.

While it’s still early, using 3D printed biological and scaffold-free structures could decrease the amount of complications that come with more traditional transplant methods. No longer would patients have to sacrifice part of one of their organs (or someone else’s) to have a healthier esophagus. In times of organ shortages, this technology would obviously be vital in saving lives.

The researchers stated in their conclusion that the next step will be longer post-transplant assessment periods as well as orthotopic esophagus transplantation into larger animals.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

Sources: Mayo Clinic | PLOS ONE

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3D Printing News Briefs: November 3, 2018

In this month’s first edition of 3D Printing News Briefs, we’re starting again with news about formnext, before moving on to other business news, a medical story, and a case study. Mimaki will be bringing over 10 million colors to formnext, and M. Holland has signed a distribution agreement with 3DXTECH. Some exciting medical news out of South Korea – the country’s first chest transplant using 3D printing has been successfully completed. Finally, LulzBot published a case study about its work to help produce a haunting stop-motion animation short film.

Mimaki Showcasing Over 10 Million Colors at formnext

At formnext in Frankfurt later this month, Mimaki will be bringing its advanced, full-color 3D printing technology, under the theme of ‘Shape the Future in Colour.’ Its 3DUJ-553 3D printer, which offers consistent results in over 10 million colors, will be running live during the event so visitors can see the super fine, photorealistic detail it offers. In addition, through a collaborative project with Materialise, Mimaki’s 3D printed models are currently available under the name Multicolor+ through i.materialise. These models, 3D printed in UV-cured photopolymer resins with inkjet printing heads, have a strength that’s higher than other color 3D printing technologies and can be handled directly off the 500 x 500 x 300 mm build plate of the 3DUJ-553.

“Materialise is currently trialling Mimaki’s full-colour 3D printing technology. The material, Multicolor+, allows us to create smooth surfaces with vibrant colours that enhance the value of a finished object. Multicolor+ offers more vivid and intense colours and enables stronger, sturdier materials with a minimum wall thickness of 1mm. It also allows for printing interlocking parts. As a result, Multicolor+ is ideal for printing decorative parts such as figurines, avatars and architectural models,” said Miranda Bastijns, Materialise Director Manufacturing Online.

Come see Mimaki’s full-color 3D printing capabilities for yourself at booth D26 in Hall 3.1 at formnext, November 13-16.

M. Holland Signs New Distribution Agreement

This spring, international thermoplastic resins distributor M. Holland signed its first 3D printing product distribution agreement with Owens Corning to sell the company’s XSTRAND product line. Now, the company has announced that it signed its second distribution agreement, this time with Michigan-based manufacturer and supplier of high-performance 3D printing materials and parts 3DXTECH. This agreement will provide M. Holland’s industrial manufacturing clients with access to a larger team of commercial and technical support resources, in addition to adding over 24 materials, like carbon fiber and fire-retardant materials, to the company’s current 3D printing product portfolio.

“At M. Holland, our mission is to give our industrial clients agnostic advice about how to integrate 3D printing into their operations to create value. The 3DXTECH product line gives us a full portfolio of high quality, engineering-grade materials, which we can marry with objective recommendations about methods and machinery to deliver the optimal solutions to our clients,” said Haleyanne Freedman, M. Holland’s global 3D printing and additive manufacturing engineering specialist.

South Korea Completes First Local Chest Transplant Using 3D Printing

3D printed sternum model

A 55-year-old man, who chooses to remain anonymous, has just received the first chest transplant using 3D printing in the country of South Korea. Following Spain, Italy, the US, Britain, and China, this makes it the sixth nation in the world to complete this amazing medical innovation. The patient had a malignant tumor in his thorax, and while he’d had four other surgeries and anti-cancer drugs in the past, these conventional methods did not ultimately work, and the cancer returned to his body.

“All of a sudden, the patient once again was feeling pain, and the lump on his chest became clearly visible. This meant the cancer had grown resistant,” explained Professor Park Byung-Joon with Chung-Ang University Hospital. ” We felt the new treatment was necessary and so we had to perform surgery urgently.”

He knew that 3D printing could help customize treatments for patients. Together with the rest of his team, Professor Park created a 3D printed breastbone for the patient that would have been nearly impossible to create with other methods of manufacturing. The hope is that this 3D printed chest transplant will help spur additional innovation in South Korea.

To learn more, watch the video below:

LulzBot Helps Produce Stop-Motion Animation

Dale Hayward and Sylvie Trouvé of Montreal-based See Creature Animation, together with the National Film Board of Canada, have been working together for the past three years to produce the short film Bone Mother, a stop-motion animation version of the Slavic folklore tale of the witch Baba Yaga. For the first time, See Creature decided to use 3D printing, and chose the LulzBot Mini as the affordable, reliable machine they needed to create nearly the entire film with 3D printing. Then, the team decided to add three more to the studio, due to how much 3D printing was required – over 1,500 unique faces were needed, and See Creature used woodfill PLA by colorFabb, with a light infill, to make them. Adjustments were also made to reduce print precision, as one character needed plenty of wrinkles.

“Our main character, Baba Yaga is an ancient witch and naturally she should have wrinkles. So instead of sculpting them into the computer model, we found that if we print the face lying down, the layers look like a topographical map and the print naturally accentuated the curves of her face, creating a lot of the wrinkles for us,” Hayward explained. “We loved the look and it fit her character so much that we actually lowered the resolution to get even more stepping.”

“Where technology has forced traditional hand-drawn animation to adapt or fade away, stop-motion has always ridden the tech wave, so much so that there has become a renaissance of stop-motion films over the last decade. This is attributed to technologies like 3D printing…. they have opened the doors to greater creative possibilities at a lower budget.”

Bone Mother, which clocks in at less than nine minutes, recently premiered in Toronto. See it for yourself below:

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the comments below.