3DMedNet – 3D Printing in Medicine Network

Find out what’s happening within 3D printing in medicine, with the latest news from around the world. This channel also highlights interviews, editorials and reviews, where topics such as 4D printing are discussed.

Watch the latest 3DMedNet videos, from interviews with leading scientists, to highlights and reports from the latest conferences. Would you like to feature in a 3DMedNet video? Get in touch!

Will we be able to 3D print whole organs? How can we print living tissue for drug testing or therapeutic transplantation? What biomaterials, bioinks or biofabrication techniques are most suitable for different applications? This channel presents research, news and insights on the role of 3D bioprinting tissues and organs for tissue engineering or regenerative medicine; cell-based models, tissues and organs for pharmaceutical and environmental toxicity screening and drug discovery; and in vitro models of organism development and disease, including tissue and tumor phenomics/phenotypic modeling and liquid biopsy analysis.

To date, prosthetics, bone implants, custom 3D printed mini drug dispensaries/pill boxes, plaster cast alternatives, a handheld device for bioprinting cells, wheelchairs and hearing aids have already been printing through additive manufacturing – these products have the potential to be manufactured faster and more cheaply than traditional methods, as well as personalized to individual users' needs. This channel therefore focuses on the development and customization of medical devices, device components, implants, prosthetics and medical tools through medical 3D printing.

3D printed products will be regulated differently depending on whether they are a medical device, biological product or pharmaceutical product. Also, as a fast-developing industry, the industry has key regulatory issues that need to be resolved, such as how you keep cells 'clean' during 3D bioprinting; how to prevent black marketing medical printing; and how you ensure traceability, meaning innovation is at risk of outpacing regulation if agencies do not swiftly update their guidance. The channel contains updates and information on the current regulatory environment and global policies as they relate to regulation and safety.

3D printing could open up a wealth of opportunities for pharmaceutical research and application, including personalized drug dosing, novel dosage forms, improved formulations and more complex drug release profiles, meaning a pharmacist could potentially in the future immediately 3D print the required dosage, rather than patients taking half a pill, or pills could be developed that are more easy for children or the elderly to swallow. This channel showcases and discusses the latest advances and approvals in additive manufacturing of printed pharmaceuticals, including vaccines and oral drugs.

This channel covers the creation and use of 3D printed models for surgical planning, education and training, including printed specialized tools or instruments for use during surgery.

The field of 3D printing is fast faced, with novel equipment/hardware, materials, imaging and software developments occuring frequently. This channel discusses digital manufacturing developments supporting the enterprise control of 3D printing manufacturing, new technologies/designs in diagnostic assays/models or different 3D printing techniques such as selective laser sintering (SLS), fused deposition modelling (FDM) and stereolithography (SLA), as well as other aspects.

This channel provides information on essential events in the field of 3D printing in medicine.

3DMedNet brings you a roundup of the hot topics from this year’s 3D Medical Expo in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Discover what presentations were the most popular at this 2 day event, what was exhibited and who attended.

Updates from the 3DMedNet team.

The Journal of 3D Printing in Medicine is a peer-reviewed journal aimed at providing an insight into an exciting new era in healthcare. Encompassing all aspects of bioprinting and 3D printing of relevance to medicine, the journal provides a forum for research, review and commentary in a fast-moving, inter-disciplinary research area. Read the latest journal news, plus, exclusively for 3DMedNet members, free access to selected papers.

For more information on Journal of 3D Printing in Medicine and to check out all the latest content, visit the journal site.