LIFIA, a research centre of the National University of La Plata in Argentina, has created a 3D printer head that can control two syringes simultaneously, allowing doctors to print biopolymers with specific geometric forms and combine them in novel ways. Developed in conjunction with Dr. Guillermo R. Castro of CONICET and the Center for Research and Development in Industrial Fermentation (CINDEFI), the project is the first of its kind, and has won a contest organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Argentina (MinCyT), from which it received financial assistance to be developed.

According to Sergio Katz, coordinator of IT infrastructure and support at LIFIA and one of the lead researchers in this study, the idea was to design a system that could accurately control the deposition of biopolymers. These 3D bioprinted patches can then be adapted to specific organs and used in local therapies for patients, thereby tailoring medical drug administration in terms of dosage amounts, the type of drug, and targeted location.

“[The polymers] are combined to create novel hydrocolloidal matrices based on the type of drug to be administered to the patient, and the proper therapies suggested by the physicians,” Katz told 3Ders.org. He added that his 3D print head prototype is a “multipurpose medical technology” with applications in bioprinting, nanotechnology and biotechnology.Read more

Source: 3ders.org