The BioPen prototype was designed and built using the 3D printing equipment in the labs at the University of Wollongong and was handed over to clinical partners at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne led by Professor Peter Choong (left), who will work on optimising the cell material for use in clinical trials. ACES Director Professor Gordon Wallace is on the right.
Once the cells are “drawn” onto the surgery site they’ll multiply, become differentiated into nerve cells, muscle cells or bone cells. Eventually, they’ll turn from individual cells into a thriving community of cells in the form of a functioning a tissue, such as nerves, or a muscle.
Read: Biopen to Rewrite Orthopedic Implants Surgery
RapidFIRE: Researchers Develop an On-the-Fly 3D Bio Printer