๐ Data publikacji: 16.05.2025
At the MEDI-Print BioFab Center in Gdaลsk, Professor Anna Malicka stood before a bank of monitors displaying high-resolution CT and MRI scans. Her multidisciplinary team of orthopedic surgeons and bioengineers had embarked on Project Imprint: delivering a custom implant from scan to operating room in under 24 hours. Each patient began with a full-body scan, capturing millimeter-precise data of bone defects. Advanced segmentation algorithms converted the raw DICOM files into a watertight 3D mesh, which was imported into CAD software for surgical planning and design. ๐ค
The first patient, a 34-year-old motorbike accident victim, had lost a segment of his femur. The team analyzed the defect and designed an implant featuring internal channels to support intraosseous oxygenation and bone marrow flow, as well as fixation tabs for tendon reattachment. The design process took three hours, with AI-driven optimization ensuring load distribution mimicked healthy femoral mechanics. The finalized STL file was then sent to the MED-5000 SLA bioceramic printer loaded with hydroxyapatite-infused resin. Layer by layer—at a resolution of 50 µm—the printer built the implant while preserving the micro-roughness essential for osteointegration. ๐ฌ
Within eight hours, the printed piece emerged from its bath, was rinsed, UV-cured, and sterilized. In the OR, a da Vinci surgical robot guided Professor Malicka in inserting the implant through minimally invasive incisions, reducing soft-tissue trauma. The robot’s haptic feedback and real-time imaging ensured perfect alignment. The 2-hour procedure replaced a conventional 5-hour open operation. By the next morning, the patient was weight-bearing with assistance and reported minimal pain. Radiographic scans after 7 days showed early signs of bone growth at the implant interface, validating the team’s vision of same-day personalized implants. ๐
Prof. Malicka reflected: "By combining rapid design, biocompatible materials, and robotic precision, we've redefined surgical timelines and patient recovery. This is the dawn of truly personalized surgery." ๐
At the Copernicus Innovation Lab’s maxillofacial surgery wing, Dr. Michaล Nowak leveraged Project Imprint to restore facial structures. Using intraoral scanners and facial photogrammetry, the team captured the contours of a patient’s jaw after mandibular tumor resection. Engineers designed a TPU-composite mesh scaffold matching the patient’s mandible geometry, printed on a multi-material goniophotonic printer. The scaffold’s porosity supported vascular ingrowth, while bioactive hydrogel coatings released growth factors over four weeks. ๐ฆท
Meanwhile, in craniofacial cases, custom PLA templates guided the deposition of autologous skin cells. A specialized micro-dispensing printer applied patient-derived keratinocytes and fibroblasts in concentric rings to form epidermal layers. After four weeks in a perfusion bioreactor, these skin-implant constructs matured into full-thickness tissue patches, which surgeons applied to burn victims. The results were remarkable: scar formation reduced by 60%, and aesthetic outcomes surpassed conventional grafts. ๐ฉน
In ophthalmology, the team 3D-printed collagen-based corneal implants. High-precision extrusion at 10 µm layer height replicated the cornea’s laminar structure. Patients regained 80% of pre-injury vision within two months. Dr. Nowak noted, "We’re moving beyond metal and ceramic implants—printing living tissue that heals with the body." ๐
By integrating multi-disciplinary expertise, Project Imprint extended from orthopedics to dentistry, dermatology, and ophthalmology, proving the versatility of personalized 3D-printed implants. ๐ก
In its third phase, Project Imprint collaborated with the Agency for Medical Devices (AWM) to establish global standards for personalized implants. They defined protocols for material traceability (ISO 13485), printer validation, and digital audit trails. Each implant carried a unique digital identifier recorded on a blockchain ledger, ensuring tamper-proof documentation of design parameters, printing environment, and sterilization records. ๐
Patient advocacy groups and bioethicists contributed to a consent framework guaranteeing ownership of one’s digital anatomical data and the right to access or transfer implant designs. Reimbursement policies were updated to cover bespoke implants under national health schemes, reducing patient out-of-pocket expenses. ๐๏ธ
Looking ahead, the team is developing smart implants embedded with pH and temperature sensors to monitor healing in real time, transmitting data wirelessly to clinicians. Research is underway on printing nerve conduits using conductive bioinks, enabling regeneration of peripheral nerves. Space medicine applications explore printing bone scaffolds with regolith-based biocomposites for lunar hospitals. ๐
Prof. Malicka concluded: "Personalized 3D-printed implants are more than technology—they represent a paradigm shift in patient care, where medicine adapts to the individual’s anatomy and biology. The future is tailored, and today we’ve laid its foundation." ๐โจ