Penn State takes the lead on new 3d printing material

 

When 3d printing was first introduced to the public, it was most likely seen to only be able to create cool crafts that you personally can create. However, as time passed we have seen new applications, as well as new potential uses in different field.artificialear

Recently, Penn State was able to revolutionize the medical application of 3d printing by creating a new material that will possibly replace old methods of print cartilage. The new polymer that the team of engineers had used is is artificial in nature, but closely resembles cartilage that would come from cows. This new polymer, known as Bioink, is better than the Hydrogel polymer that was used previously to print cartilage for a few reasons. First, the Bioink polymer allows the cells to grow and become naturalized in the human body. The problem that Hydrogels had in this area was while it gave the cartilage cells a base to build off of, however it would interrupt the body’s communication to the new cartilage, ultimately inhibiting the acceptance of the new cartilage to the body.  The second reason why the Bioink does better than that of Hydrogels is that it is safer for use in a person’s body. Hydrogel’s are a combination of polymer material and water, which makes up 90 percent of it. However, as Hydrogels break down, it has the potential of producing a toxin that can have negative effects on cellular growth. But with Bioink, this problem doesn’t exist, but it lacks the structural integrity that Hydrogelsgel’s have to offer. It can be seen that  with this material, is can be possible to one day be able to print new cartilaginous material that will completely mimic the person in needs dna and not have to worry about rejection or possibly developing cellular difficulties.

Sources:
Messer, B. A. (n.d.). 3D printing produces cartilage from strands of bioink | Penn State University. Retrieved September 16, 2016, from http://news.psu.edu/story/415808/2016/06/27/research/3d-printing-produces-cartilage-strands-bioink

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