Towards 3D printed medical devices in vivo

Fong, James and Baldock, Sara and Cheneler, David and Appleby, John and Hardy, John (2022) Towards 3D printed medical devices in vivo. In: UK Defence Surgical Research Conference, 2022-07-072022-07-08, Tower of London.

Abstract

Introduction The rapid development of wearable/implantable electronic devices for biomedical applications is exciting. Telemedicine methods of personal identification and/or patient medical information directly embedded within an individual may revolutionise civilian/military healthcare, motivating the development of minimally invasive methods to print a variety of components in vivo. Potential applications include electronic devices for communications or identification, or optically-readable tags, such as barcodes and QR codes for data storage, personnel identification or medical history. Method We utilise a novel photochemical approach for the additive manufacture of embedded polymer components with wide-ranging biomedical applications, with the demonstrated potential for 3D printing of electronic components in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo. Custom ink formulations are applied/delivered to a substrate (material/tissue/organism) followed by photochemical development of the ink within the substrate yielding de novo designed electronic components within/on the substrate characterised by a variety of analytical methods (e.g., electrical/microscopy/spectroscopy). Results We demonstrate progress towards complex electrical devices, with the fabrication of conductive polymer wires, which can form the foundation of all subsequent larger electrical devices. Subsequently, the successful printing of a functioning quick response (QR) code is demonstrated, enabling information to be embedded and easily characterised. Further measurement of this device with an optical microscope shows the ability to store information ex-vivo with a simple characterisation technique, and shows promise for effective 3D printed devices for medical applications in-vivo. Conclusion Facile printing of devices for electronic characterisation, or optical components for characterisation with a conventional camera paves the way for a next generation of embedded bioelectronics that we foresee revolutionizing healthcare via personalised telemedicine.