Future Links CW 31 – Medical Printing Edition
This week’s future links deal with medical printing and packaging. Read all about 3D printing in the medical field in general, a 3D-printed skulls, sheep’s wool for packaging, 3D-printed noses and the outlook on market of sterile medical packaging.
3D Printing Developes in the Medical Field
The uses of 3D printing are developing within the medical field by using bio ink, which is made out of living cell structures. The researchers are able to print different types of tissue, not medical devices and tools, which are created by using 3D inkjet printing. Scientists have not printed an entire organ yet, but kidney cells or sheets of cardiac tissue have been successfully printed in the past. The precursor of that was stem cell printing. Furthermore researchers are working on bioprinting skin, bioprinting bones, and other parts of the human body.
More at The Future of Things
3D-Printed Skull After Traumatic Brain Injury
Dr. Gupta, MD, assistant professor of neurosurgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School cooperates with a medical device company – DeputSynthese CMS to 3D print a custom cranial skull implant for a men, who had a trauma resulting in severe injuries to his frontal lobe. The 3D implant out of PEEK (polyetheretherketure) is strength, stabile, biocompatible and custom fit.
More at Science Daily
Swanline and Woolcool Revolutionise the Transportation of Pharmaceuticals
Swanline and Woolcool come together with LifeGUARDIAN, an eco-friendly insulting packaging system with 100 percent pure, clean sheep’s wool that is too coarse for textile use. It was developed to sort out the problem that half of all vaccines are deemed unusable due to packaging failure. This packaging system keeps the optimal temperature of sensitive medicines for up to twice as long as the standards. The key challenge of Swanline in this cooperation was to combat the formation of condensation on the box surfaces.
More at Packaging News
3D Printed Nose for Rhinoplasty Doctors
Dr. Herman Chinski, MD and product developer Ricardo Lerch created a product that leverages 3D printing and 3D software to help surgeons better study and understand the shape and proportions of the nose. They used universally accepted criteria as nasal beauty and 3D-printed the model using an open source 3D printer. After many tests they found the right materials and ideal adjustments that do not generate subtle deformations. Finally, they had six 3D-printed nose models that are used in rhinoplasty so that the patients have a better idea of changes that surgery will provide.
More at 3D Print
Opportunities by North America Leading in Sterile Medical Packaging
Transparency Market Research says that the opportunities in the global sterile medical packaging market will rise. Mergers and acquisitions, strengthening the distribution network and product expansion are just some of the key strategies of the players in this market. They predict that the pouches and bags segment will replace the vials and ampoules segment. There is a growing demand for biologics, but the level of expertise needed to maintain and preserve biologics is high. This results in the rising demand for innovative product packaging solutions.
More at Packaging Strategies
