3D Printing
News Videos Newsletter Contact us
Home / News / Bioprinting Technique Could Create Artificial Blood Vessels
qidi

Bioprinting Technique Could Create Artificial Blood Vessels

October 31, 2018

One of the core problems with fixing complex cardiac tissues and vessels is that of getting replacement parts to behave like the real thing. Take heart disease for example: hardening blood vessels present an issue that makes them hard to replace. That’s why a team of researchers at Colorado University Boulder is using 3D printing as a means of producing artificial blood vessels with programmable rigidity control. As a result, they’ve been able to accurately mimic the blood and oxygen flow present in the human body.

The research uses a fine-grained, programmable control over rigidity achieved via elaborate layering. Through the method, the researchers can print objects with the same shape, size and materials while displaying variable rigidities. The researchers printing these items with a high-resolution desktop printer (the biomaterials were as small as 10 microns). The key is to control oxygen migration, while simultaneously managing flexibility and size.

Researchers Bioprint Vessel Replacement Structures
Related Story
Researchers Bioprint Vessel Replacement Structures

“This is a profound development and an encouraging first step toward our goal of creating structures that function like a healthy cell should function,” said Xiaobo Yin, CU mechanical engineering associate professor and the study’s senior author. “The idea was to add independent mechanical properties to 3D structures that can mimic the body’s natural tissue.”

Medical Applications

Prints With Programmable Rigidity Control Present Medical Applications

This technology allows researchers to create customisable microstructures for any patient’s disease models.   The researchers demonstrated this by printing various models with programmable rigidity control. The level of control comes courtesy of varying up the rod rigidity as shown in the image above. This creates items that display a level of flexibility without altering their other properties. The prints come in 3 combinations: soft/soft, hard/soft and hard/hard (from left to right in the picture).

“The challenge is to create an even finer scale for the chemical reactions,” Yin said. “But we see tremendous opportunity ahead for this technology and the potential for artificial tissue fabrication.”

The research could lead to many potential improvements in cardiology. It has a particular potential in solving the issues associated with hypertension and hardening vessels. As with many other forms of medical 3D printing, the greatest benefit is the patient specific care it provides. Doctors could alter the process, size and rigidity for each different patient. While the research is still young, it has immense potential in creating medical bio-structures as well. Perhaps it may also prove useful for simplistic nanomachines in the future.

Featured image courtesy of Colorado University.

Share:
WhatsApp Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Buffer Reddit E-mail
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Latest posts

Laser-Assisted Cold Spray Technology Enhances Material Deposition Process

Researchers at the University of Cambridge's Center for Industrial Photonics have developed a new additive manufacturing technique called laser-assisted cold spray (LACS). The... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Laser-Assisted Cold Spray Technology Enhances Material Deposition Process

Titomic Netherlands Secures Strategic Funding to Advance Cold Spray 3D Printing Technology

Titomic Limited, an Australian company specializing in cold spray additive manufacturing, has received €800,000 in funding from the Netherlands' 3D Print Kompas program.... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Titomic Netherlands Secures Strategic Funding to Advance Cold Spray 3D Printing Technology

3D-Printed Insects Help Scientists Map the Limits of Mimicry in Nature

Researchers at the University of Nottingham have developed a method to 3D print life-sized, color-accurate insect models for biological research. The team, led... read more »

Environmental

University of Hong Kong Scientists Explore Growing Organs with 3D Printing Technology

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) are working to combine 3D-printed respiratory tissue with lab-grown organoids to create functional airways for... read more »

Bioprinting
University of Hong Kong Scientists Explore Growing Organs with 3D Printing Technology

SHINING 3D Unveils EinScan Rigil with Tri-Mode Scanning for Pro-sumer Flexibility

SHINING 3D has launched its newest flagship 3D scanner, the EinScan Rigil — touted as the world’s first 3D scanner featuring Tri-Mode operation... read more »

News
SHINING 3D Unveils EinScan Rigil with Tri-Mode Scanning for Pro-Level Flexibility

ETH Zurich 3D Prints Recycled Plastic Structure for Swiss Ice Cream Shop

ETH Zurich students have completed a 3D-printed ice cream shop in the Swiss Alpine village of Mulegns. The project, called Gelateria, was designed... read more »

Construction
ETH Zurich 3D Prints Recycled Plastic Structure for Swiss Ice Cream Shop

Hugo Launches 3D Printed Loafers with Zellerfeld

Hugo, the younger brand under Hugo Boss, has partnered with 3D printing company Zellerfeld to create a fully 3D-printed loafer. The shoe is... read more »

Fashion
Hugo Launches 3D Printed Loafers with Zellerfeld

3D Printed Resin Combines Rubber Flexibility with Plastic Strength, Surprising Scientists

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a 3D printing method that can create objects with both soft and hard... read more »

News
3D Printed Resin Combines Rubber Flexibility with Plastic Strength, Surprising Scientists

LPE Supports Queen’s Propulsion Laboratory with 3D Printed Rocket Engine Chamber

Students at Queen's University Belfast have developed what they describe as Ireland's first student-built liquid rocket engine. The Kelvin Mk.1, named after Belfast-born... read more »

3D Printing Metal
LPE Supports Queen’s Propulsion Laboratory with 3D Printed Rocket Engine Chamber

Social

  • Facebook Facebook 3D Printing
  • Linkedin Linkedin 3D Printing
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Fashion
  • Medical
  • Military
  • QIDI Tech X-Max 3

    • - Print size: 325 x 325 x 315 mm
    • - fully enclosed
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Plus4

    • - Print size: 305 x 305 x 280 mm
    • - print temperature of 370°C
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • Snapmaker Artisan Premium 3-in-1

    • - Print size: 400 x 400 x 400 mm
    • - comes with enclosure
    More details »
    $2,999.00 Snapmaker
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Tech Q1 Pro

    • - Print size: 245 x 245 x 245 mm
    • - 600mm/s max speed
    More details »
    $449.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now

Company Information

  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing

Blog

  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal

Featured Reviews

  • Anycubic Photon Mono M5s
  • Creality Ender 5 S1
  • The Mole 3D Scanner
  • Flashforge Creator 3 Pro

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
2025 — Strikwerda en Dehue
  • Home
  • Join our mailing list
  • Contact us
Blog
  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal
Featured Industries
  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
Company Information
  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing