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From source page:

A handheld ‘bio pen’ developed in the labs of the University of Wollongong (UOW) will allow surgeons to design customised implants on-site and at the time of surgery.
The BioPen, developed by researchers from the UOW-headquarteredAustralian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES), will give surgeons greater control over where the materials are deposited while also reducing the time the patient is in surgery by delivering live cells and growth factors directly to the site of injury, accelerating the regeneration of functional bone and cartilage.

The BioPen works similar to 3D printing methods by delivering cell material inside a biopolymer such as alginate, a seaweed extract, protected by a second, outer layer of gel material. The two layers of gel are combined in the pen head as it is extruded onto the bone surface and the surgeon ‘draws’ with the ink to fill in the damaged bone section.
A low powered ultra-violet light source is fixed to the device that solidifies the inks during dispensing, providing protection for the embedded cells while they are built up layer-by-layer to construct a 3D scaffold in the wound site.

Once the cells are ‘drawn’ onto the surgery site they will multiply, become differentiated into nerve cells, muscle cells or bone cells and will eventually turn from individual cells into a thriving community of cells in the form of a functioning a tissue, such as nerves, or a muscle.
The device can also be seeded with growth factors or other drugs to assist regrowth and recovery, while the hand-held design allows for precision in theatre and ease of transportation.
The BioPen prototype was designed and built using the 3D printing equipment in the labs at the University of Wollongong and was this week handed over to clinical partners at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, led by Professor Peter Choong, who will work on optimising the cell material for use in clinical trials.

The BioPen will help build on recent work by ACES researchers where they were able to grow new knee cartilage from stem cells on 3D-printed scaffolds to treat cancers, osteoarthritis and traumatic injury.
Professor Peter Choong, Director of Orthopaedics at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and the Sir Hugh Devine Professor of Surgery, University of Melbourne said:
“This type of treatment may be suitable for repairing acutely damaged bone and cartilage, for example from sporting or motor vehicle injuries. Professor Wallace’s research team brings together the science of stem cells and polymer chemistry to help surgeons design and personalise solutions for reconstructing bone and joint defects in real time.”

The BioPen will be transferred to St Vincent’s for clinical projects to be carried out at the proposed Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery in Melbourne.
“The combination of materials science and next-generation fabrication technology is creating opportunities that can only be executed through effective collaborations such as this,” ACES Director Professor Gordon Wallace said.
“What’s more, advances in 3D printing are enabling further hardware innovations in a rapid manner.”
Design expertise and fabrication of the BioPen was supported by the Materials Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility, hosted at the University of Wollongong’s Innovation Campus.

Source:

http://media.uow.edu.au/news/UOW162803?utm_source=uow-homepage&utm_medium=main-banner-1&utm_campaign=news-biopen

Articles like this make my girlfriend cry. She loves dogs and hates me spending money on my 3d printing "hobby".

3d model of dog's bones and metal implants

From the source:

At Auburn University, the latest in printing technology is literally going to the dogs, cats and other animals. Auburn's College of Veterinary Medicine is among the first veterinary programs in the United States to use three-dimensional printing and models in advance of complicated surgeries.

A 3D printer builds up objects layer by layer, using various methods to deposit and harden the 'ink' where it is needed. Many materials, including plastic, metal and ceramic can now be printed based on instructions from computer-assisted design programs.In the college's Department of Clinical Sciences, the radiology section has begun using its newly-acquired Makerbot 3D printer to investigate ways to improve surgical planning. In its first week of use, the 3D printer was successfully used to provide a solution for a complicated surgical procedure before the surgery was performed.

"Using the 3D technology proved extremely helpful in planning a surgical procedure for a small dog," said Dr. Don Sorjonen, a professor emeritus of neurology and neurosurgery who has returned to the college as a consultant.
"In this particular case, a 1.4 kilogram Yorkshire terrier had an instability of the first and second cervical vertebrae," Sorjonen said. "The joint was not only unstable but also was not aligned properly. Because of the dog's small size, we did not have the proper implants to make the repair. After producing a physical model of the dog's vertebrae using the 3D printer, we could accurately measure the cervical vertebrae and order plates and screws specially suited for the repair. Being able to craft a remedy prior to surgery increased the chances of a successful outcome."

"Thanks to a computer we were able to create a 3D model on a screen, but allowing this model to be printed gives us an excellent tool for communicating with our colleagues and clients," said radiology resident Dr. Adrien-Maxence Hespel."The 3D printer allows the surgeons to evaluate more approaches to solve a problem preoperatively and may help them in deciding which solution is optimal for the patient," Hespel added. "By having a prototype in their hands, surgeons can narrow their choice of surgical implants ahead of time. As the models can be sterilized, they can even be used during surgery as a quick reference."

The printer also has been used to create an anatomy model to study a bone fracture and conduct an equine research project.

Source with more details:

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-12-rapid-prototyping-technology-complicated-surgeries.html

Fully 3d printable prosthetic hand that reacts controlled by smartphone and sensor on healthy limb. By using simple 3d printing materials they sacrifice robustness but give easily repairable prosthetic with easily produced replacement parts. Fingers with three joints are actuated by single motor. It is much cheaper then regularly produced prosthesis.





From project site:

Description

Function
''Myoelectric Prosthetic Hand'' is an artificial hand that recovers lost functions of amputees. It utilizes electrical signal measured on skin surface of their remaining muscles. A variety of myoelectric prosthetic hands has been developed around the world, however, none of them are offered at an affordable price costing more than $400. We solve this problem in following ways: 1. Using smartphone. Conventional hands required an exclusive device for computation. We replace this with a smartphone which users have. 2. Using 3D printer. One of the main reason that makes components expensive is strict requirement on robustness. In sacrifice of robustness, we offer repairable hand. All components are printable by a 3D printer, enabling users to modify and reproduce them easily. 3. Under-actuated mechanism for finger flexion. To reduce the number of motors, we developed a three-joints finger actuated by one motor that passively changes its trajectory depending on the shape of an object.

Inspiration
Our team has been working on myoelectric prosthetic hand since college days. We were pursuing highly functional hand that can perform strong, precise and diverse motions. Talking with amputees, however, we realized that high functionality is not necessarily the first priority to reduce their daily challenges. ''My only hand is useless because of an umbrella in a rainy day. I cannot eat steak by myself since knife and fork requires two hands.'' said my amputee friend. These tasks don’t require dexterous motions. It is rather the ''price'' of prosthetic hand that restricts amputees from using myoelectric prosthetic hand. Therefore, ''Handie'' is designed to provide amputees with sufficient functions at an affordable price.

Development
We defined Handie's essential function as ''to support the dominant hand''. To realize this, we set minimum number of motors as six: ''thumb rotation'' and flexion of each finger. Thumb rotation is necessary because thumb is facing other fingers when grabbing an object, while it is parallel to other fingers when holding down an object on a table. Secondly, to reduce the cost, we utilized 3D printer. Besides skeleton, we made ringshaped elastic elements placed at finger joints also by 3D printer. Through iteration of prototype, the shape of the element was optimized to have required strength and other properties. Finally, to make the hand easy to repair and reassemble, we separated the skeleton of each finger into units

Source:

http://www.jamesdysonaward.org/Projects/Project.aspx?ID=3897&RegionI

Implant is made from titanium powder, it costs some 10 USD. It is already used in Japan and helps people with various bone damage conditions where it replaces damaged parts.










Via:
http://www.3ders.org/articles/20130813-japanese-patients-successfully-received-3d-printed-bone-transplants.html