SINGAPORE: A new laboratory is looking at helping patients replace their missing or damaged body parts with 3D-printed versions.
Among the areas that the lab will cover are exploring 3D printing living tissues for regenerative medicine, which involves translating existing bioprinting research into practical clinical use, and developing 3D prosthetic and orthotic devices, including ankle foot orthosis and below-knee amputation sockets.
The joint research and development lab in additive manufacturing, a tie up between Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore General Hospital (SGH), is working on healthcare innovations such as bioprinting living tissues and customising medical devices and implants.
These innovations, which could redefine patient treatment, are currently still in development.
INNOVATIONS STILL BEING DEVELOPED
SGH CEO Kenneth Kwek said the possibilities that the tie-up can bring are limitless, adding: “We can advance care to enable better outcomes and a better experience for all patients and future users of healthcare.”
The collaboration leverages the combined expertise and resources of SGH’s 3D Printing Centre and NTU’s Singapore Centre for 3D Printing.
Professor Lam Khin Yong, vice president (Industry) at NTU, said the collaboration also benefits the next generation of clinicians, academics and engineers, equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate the changing medical landscape.
The lab will also focus on developing capabilities for 3D printing medical implants directly at the point-of-care, and enhancing the 3D healthcare technology landscape.
Currently, there is still a long process to go before the healthcare solutions can be implemented, said Professor Paulo Bartolo, executive director of the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing at NTU.
“The majority of the cases we are performing are preclinical studies in animals, so the next stage is human trials.”
Associate Professor Goh Su-Yen, clinical director with the Singapore General Hospital’s Future Health System department, said: “At the moment, the majority of the usage would be in printing surgical guides for cutting or anatomical models.”
Currently with these models, surgeons can visualise where the blood vessels and nerves are around a bone, for instance, and they can then plan a surgery with greater precision, she told CNA’s Singapore Tonight on Tuesday (Dec 12).
“This may reduce the time that the patient spends in the operating theatre.”