MOSCOW, April 10, Vladislav Strekopytov. NUST MISiS presented Russia's first fabric pistol, a mobile device for treating small and medium wounds in the field or in an emergency zone. The project was implemented at the Center for Biomedical Engineering, the leading Russian laboratory in the field of bioprinting, that is, 3D printing technology with living cells.
Ahead of the planet
In 2003, Vladimir Mironov, currently the scientific director of the REC of Biomedical Engineering at NUST MISiS, published a pioneering work on 3D bioprinting Organ printing: computer-aided jet-based 3D tissue engineering.
Devices for biological printing There were no objects then, and scientists adapted ordinary 3D printers for this, pouring «bio-ink» from living cells into them. Cells were taken from the patient and expanded in the laboratory.
In 2013, the Russian company 3D Bioprinting Solutions, under the scientific supervision of Mironov, developed the FABION bioprinter. In 2015, for the first time in the world, an artificial organ was printed on it — the thyroid gland of a mouse. After transplantation, the rodent's organ took root and performed its functions.
An important area of bioprinting is the creation of implants for hard and soft tissues. NUST MISIS learned how to print biocompatible auricle implants that accelerate regeneration. Plastic surgery on the ears today is one of the most popular due to frequent damage to the ear cartilage as a result of injuries, burns, tumors, and birth defects.
Modern additive 3D printing makes it possible to manufacture strictly individual implants with an accurate reproduction of the shape and relief of the patient's auricle .
Also, bioprinters print cartilage. So far they are being tested on laboratory mice, but the technology is already ready.
«Life-giving» gun
One of the latest achievements is a tissue gun. The device fits in a small suitcase that can be easily carried by one person.
“Mobile hospitals deployed in an emergency or combat zone need an autonomous hand-held device that will stop bleeding and accelerate the regeneration of living tissue,” says Fedor Senatov, co-author of the novelty, director of the NUST MISiS REC for Biomedical Engineering. “Existing devices with a similar principle of operation — large and complex».
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The full name of the device, for which a patent has already been received, is «a manual autonomous complex of two-component 3D bioprinting with an ultrasonic polymerization system for the treatment of wound surfaces.»
Two syringes of a standard form of 20 ml each with biopolymers and medical preparations are installed in the gun. A third syringe with a binding agent is connected through a special port. When the trigger is pulled, the ultrasonic system atomizes all the components on the piezoelectric membrane, and the finished mixture is fed into the print area. =»photo» data-crop-ratio=»0.666666666666667″ data-crop-width=»600″ data-crop-height=»400″ data-source-sid=»» class=»lazyload» lazy=»1″/
“The jet closes the wound and heals,” explains the first author of the development, engineer of the REC of Biomedical Engineering, Ph.D. Timur Aydemir. “Unlike foreign analogues, our device is completely autonomous. Built-in rechargeable batteries can be charged via a USB port.”
The film on the wound creates favorable conditions for accelerated healing, prevents infection. For the prevention of bacterial infection and pain relief, there are materials with drugs — antibiotics, anesthetics and others. Material supply control is manual electromechanical, the proportions can be easily changed in real time.
The body and parts of the gun were made right there, at NUST MISiS, with the help of 3D printing. Engineers emphasize that this can be repeated anywhere, even in a war zone. The cost price is only 40 thousand rubles. In serial production, there will no longer be 3D printing, but molding from plastic, which will further reduce the cost of the device.
The basis of the healing mixture is a hydrogel made from natural polymers, alginates and gelatins. To enhance blood clotting, you can add high-molecular protein compounds such as fibrins.
The device was tested on laboratory animals with burns at the N. N. Blokhin National Research Center of Oncology. With a hydrogel coating, the burn wound healed much faster than with conventional means. Scientists are now studying tissues after healing.
Medic Robot
MISiS also has a more capital development in the same area — a bioprinter in the form of a robotic arm. Also suitable for field hospitals. Unlike a tissue gun, here the material is applied automatically — in accordance with the program compiled on the basis of the results of scanning the defect.
This is a joint Russian-Belarusian project. The basic design of Belarusian engineers was finalized at 3D Bioprinting Solutions so that it could be printed directly on the patient — in situ, as the scientists say. To do this, added sensors that stop the printer at the surface of the body. In this case, the protective coating is applied not as a continuous film, but in the form of a mesh.
«Hydrogel accelerates healing, but a continuous layer does not allow the tissue to breathe,» explains Fedor Senatov.
No other foreign analogue has this. In addition, our device is much lighter than imported ones — less than 14 kilograms. And the most important advantage is the ability to apply a coating on a surface of any configuration. This is not possible on a conventional bioprinter.
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The robotic arm has six degrees of freedom. This is also a unique feature.
So far, the first prototype of a mobile field bioprinter has been presented. It's only meant for small wounds. But, according to the engineers, installing other nozzles and increasing the treatment area is not a problem. There would be a customer. Negotiations with representatives of the defense department are already underway. Scientists hope that their life-saving device will soon appear in hospitals.