3D-Printed Organs Could Save Lives, Driving Additive Manufacturing Growth in Medicine

Researchers at ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, have produced a functioning human heart made of silicone using additive manufacturing (AM) technologies. Unfortunately, the heart can only beat for about half an hour before the material starts to break down. Patients awaiting heart transplants can currently use the mechanical pumps while waiting for a donated heart, but the scientists hope that the printed hearts will replace temporary mechanical pumps and eventually heart transplants or perhaps damaged heart tissue, if they can get them to last longer. ¹

The World Health Organization estimates that donated organs meet less than ten percent of the transplant demand worldwide. That leads to over 900,000 deaths each year in the United States, or 35% of all American deaths.²

Currently, an AM technology known as Polyjet modelling can use multiple materials to produce customized anatomical models with correct bone densities and accurate vascular structures. If the companies that produce these printers team up with leading researchers such as those at ETH Zurich, they could extend the lives of millions of people worldwide. Of course, the structural integrity of the printed hearts will have to improve for them to be effective, and the cost of the printers may have to come down for hospitals in poorer countries to afford them.

The medical and dental fields will use AM to produce parts, products, implants and prosthetics worth over US$14 billion in 2026 (See the ABI Research study entitled Enterprise 3D Printing and Distributed Manufacturing). If the various regulatory bodies, such as the FDA and EMA, approve usable 3D printed organs before then, the market could be worth far more. Again, ETH Zurich’s heart currently only lasts for thirty seconds. So, the researchers have a long way to go before even suggesting an attempt at putting a 3D-printed heart in a human. Still, considering the demand for organ transplants and the shortage of donations, both AM specialists and hospitals should support and work with ETH Zurich and any other researchers developing 3D-printed organs.

AM can only use certain types of materials in certain types of printers. ETH Zurich essentially perfected the CAD modelling of the heart, but the material used, silicone, does not hold up against the viscosity of blood. Polyjet modelling can use multiple materials in a single part. HP sells Multi Jet Fusion 3D printers which currently only use a polymer plaster, but interestingly, considering the business model for its 2D ink-jet printers, HP made the decision to go with an open platform for materials innovation for its 3D printers. This means that anyone can develop new materials for the printers and become official suppliers if the materials are approved by regulators. HP expects more materials to be approved in early 2018. Both Polyjet modelling and Multi Jet Fusion technologies hold promise for 3D-printed organs to take the next step and become more durable.

1 See www.sciencealert.com
2 See io9.gizmodo.com