Four ways of 3D printing technology will permanently change the medical industry

Release date: 2016-04-06

As a newcomer, 3D printing technology will bring new opportunities to drug research and biotechnology applications. Many new methods, such as drug production, distribution support, and complementary medical research, will be adopted. Let's explore how it works.

Although 3D printing technology has existed for many years, it is mainly used in manufacturing. This type of printing has also become stereolithography. It can print various things by layering different materials. Digital 3D can be used. The image is printed as a real object. In the past 15 years, 3D printing technology has been gradually applied to the medical industry, such as printing prosthetics or teeth according to user needs. Now, 3D printing technology will have the opportunity to be applied to personalized medicine.

The development of new drugs can greatly improve efficiency through 3D printing technology. It is as simple as printing plastic or metal objects. Imagine printing pills or human organs and tissues, which makes pharmaceutical companies safer and lower. The cost of the way to test new drugs, this technology seems to be able to achieve the current science and technology, and is closer than ever.

Overall medical level will increase

Compared with other industries, 3D printing technology is not widely used in the healthcare industry. Experts believe that in the field of 3D printing technology with an investment of 700 million US dollars (about 4.6 billion yuan), health care only accounts for 1.6%, and this proportion will increase to 21% in the next 10 years.

The latest research shows that the health and medical industry is growing rapidly. Market research firm MarketsandMarkets.com said it expects the market value of 3D printing technology to be used in healthcare to reach $2.13 billion (about $13.8 billion) by 2020. For example, the commercial operation of the dental industry has been very successful, and the company expects to have 50,000 customized orthodontic appliances printed on a 3D printer every day.

3D printing technology will permanently change the medical industry in four other ways.

1, personalized prescription

3D printing technology can add a whole new way to make customized drugs, and the idea of ​​experts and researchers is to make customized 3D printed oral drugs, the easiest way. Medical writer C. Lee Ventola has done extensive research on this, and her published 3D Printed Medical: Current and Future Uses writes that personalized 3D printed drugs are suitable for different reactions to the same drug. Various types of patients.

2, the unique dose

3D printing technology can also be used to produce unique doses of the drug, a process that is accomplished by inkjet 3D printing. According to experts, he may be a challenge to the traditional drug manufacturing industry. The new formulations made by the process have been tested with a variety of drugs, and over time, we will see more innovation.

3, more complex drug release curve

The drug release profile shows the time at which the drug breaks down in the patient's body, and it is easier to understand the release profile by designing and printing the drug yourself. 3D printing technology can print personalized medicines, by layered printing with a binder powder base, to facilitate targeted drug release, which creates a barrier between active ingredients, allowing researchers to more closely study release The change. As pharmaceutical manufacturers, they are beginning to realize that it is a rare opportunity for them to make more effective drugs, and they will increase their research and investment in this field in the next few years.

4, print living tissue

Although it is not currently fully and quickly implemented, experts predict that a true full-featured 3D printing heart will be realized in 20 years. Now the difficulty of 3D technology is to print complex blood vessels. According to Tony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine, the complexity of each organ is different, and some tissues are easier to print, such as the skin. But printing complex organs like the heart, liver and kidneys is more difficult.

BioPrint, a bioprinting company, wants to replace large, complex, traditional devices and use small, low-cost desktop printers to print live cells. Co-founder Danny Cabrera explained that their equipment can use human cells to build a 3D living tissue model. He also explained that his company's printers are used to develop clinically used drugs and are promoted through existing pharmaceutical industry sales channels.

What will happen next

There are still some problems before 3D printing technology becomes a common medical business. First of all, for most companies preparing to experiment, the scale of investment required is a challenge. In addition, according to Ventola, the concept of printing drugs is usually media. Along the way, the amount of money and time spent in actual operations is often underestimated, and the public's expectations for this innovation are far from enough.

There are also security issues, and because the technology is too advanced, 3D printing still lacks supervision. Ventola wrote: The existence of the so-called "garage biochemical laboratory" may promote innovation in the life sciences. These experiments are often carried out in secret, thus avoiding interference from law enforcement agencies, although the research is technically legal. .

Scientists are beginning to realize that 3D printing technology has multiple opportunities in the healthcare industry. Although a lot of work is still needed, Ventola believes that it is only a matter of time before we realize this. She also wrote, "Despite the realization of 3D printing organ technology. Still in its infancy, but the results achieved so far are very optimistic."

Source: Tencent Digital

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