Towards 3D printing medical devices in vivo

Hardy, John and Fong, James and Baldock, Sara and Cheneler, David and Appleby, John (2023) Towards 3D printing medical devices in vivo. In: Human Augmentation Conference, 2023-11-07 - 2023-11-07, Garrison Theatre.

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing of Semiconductors Directly In Vivo For Human Augmentation The ability to 3D print structures inside living organisms is a game changing step towards medical interventions. Our research will deliver disruptive innovation for biomedical science and engineering via development and exploitation of a new additive manufacturing approach pioneered by the PI (demonstrated in live Caenorhabditis elegans) for 3D printed electronics directly in organisms (including humans). The electronics are based on semiconducting polymer-based structures (with micrometer-millimeter scale features) printed within exemplar matrices, including an elastomer (polydimethylsiloxane, (PDMS)) that has been widely investigated for biomedical applications. The fidelity of the printing process in PDMS is assessed by optical coherence tomography, and the conducting polymer structures are demonstrated to be capable of stimulating mouse brain tissue in vitro. Furthermore, the applicability of the approach to printing structures in vivo is demonstrated in live nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans). These results highlight the potential for such additive manufacturing approaches to produce next-generation advanced material technologies, notably integrated electronics for technical and medical applications (e.g., human-computer interfaces).