A Band-Aid for the heart? New 3D printing method makes this, and much more, possible
Originally published by Lisa Marshall, Nicholas Goda, University of Colorado at Boulder , on August 1, 2024 Laboratory tests show this 3D-printed material molds and sticks to organs. Pictured is a porcine heart. Credit: University of Colorado at Boulder In the quest to develop life-like materials to replace and repair human body parts , scientists face a formidable challenge: Real tissues are often both strong and stretchable and vary in shape and size . A CU Boulder -led team, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Pennsylvania , has taken a critical step toward cracking that code. They've developed a new way to 3D print material that is at once elastic enough to withstand a heart 's persistent beating, tough enough to endure the crushing load placed on joints , and easily shapable to fit a patient's unique defects . Better yet, it sticks easily to wet tissue . Their breakthrough, described in the Aug. 2 edition of the journal Science , helps