Johnson & Johnson to start orthopedic 3D printing technology: How far is the era of "organ printing" from us?

Recently, Johnson & Johnson Medical Corporation of the United States announced the acquisition of EIT (Emerging Implant Technologies), a German manufacturer of 3D printed spinal implants.

The company's products are mainly 3D printed titanium vertebral implants. Compared with other 3D printed orthopedic implants, EIT implants can effectively promote bone growth in implants due to their unique porous structure. . After being acquired by Johnson & Johnson, the technology will be widely supplied to patients around the world through Johnson & Johnson Medical.

Since 2016, Johnson & Johnson has begun to gradually develop bone 3D printing technology, and has signed relevant agreements with bioprint companies Organovo, Carbon 3D, TRS and so on. Later, in February of this year, Orthotaxy's knee replacement business was acquired.

This is because 3D printing technology can produce batches of customized medical devices, which can quickly respond to the individual needs of patients or doctors in a short period of time, thus effectively helping Johnson & Johnson to maintain a leading position in the medical industry .

Since the birth of 3D printing technology, its application in the medical industry has become increasingly mature, and its superiority and high efficiency have also received more and more attention.

The simpler 3D printing technology has been widely used in orthopedics and dental treatment. Australian company CSIRO relies on printing technology to successfully tailor titanium sternum and ribs for patients; and UC Berkeley and Schulil Dental Laboratory Laboratory researchers have established a combination of 3D printing technology and AI to predict the shape of the new crown by scanning and measuring missing teeth, so that the filling part fits better with the patient itself.

Compared to the printing of orthopedic parts, organ printing is the most complicated problem in medical 3D printing technology, because countless cells in the human body are constantly changing in their unique way, and the linkage signal mechanism between these cells is currently us. Not fully understood yet.

However, American scholars have now developed the "Integrated Tissue-Organic Printing System" (ITOP) to construct microchannels within the printed tissue. Organs printed in this way can not only maintain their shape and function, but also produce nerves, muscles and cartilage tissue after being implanted into the body of a mouse.

After that, 3D organ printing achieved further breakthrough: the American biotechnology company Organovo used cell 3D printing technology to create a normal-shaped liver and survived successfully. Although the cells of the liver are inactivated after printing, this is still a milestone in the history of organ printing.

In addition to the liver, scientists are currently conducting research on 3D printing of organs such as the pancreas and kidneys. At present, it is generally believed in the academic community that once the 3D organ printing technology matures, patients who need organ transplantation will completely get rid of the fate of waiting, and this technology also realizes mass production of human organs, which solves human organ failure and prolongs human life. Other issues will have a very positive impact.


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