Different biocompatible materials have been tried as candidates for use in 3D printing of biological tissue. While promising in some ways, each has its limitations such as being incompatible with live cells due to the heat or strain of the printing process. A team of researchers has now developed a material based on silk proteins that can be used in 3D printing without resorting to high heat or other damaging effects.
The final product is pretty clear, flexible, and is not broken down by water.
From the study abstract in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering:
By incorporating nontoxic polyols into silk solutions, two-part formulations with self-curing features at room temperature were generated. By varying the formulations the crystallinity of the silk polymer matrix could be controlled to support printing in 2D and 3D formats interfaced with CAD geometry and with good feature resolution. The self-curing phenomenon was tuned and exploited in order to demonstrate the formation of both structural and support materials. Biocompatible aqueous protein inks for printing that avoid the need for chemical or photo initiators and that form aqueous-stable structures with good resolution at ambient temperatures provide useful options for biofunctionalization and a broad range of applications.
Study in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering: Polyol-Silk Bioink Formulations as Two-Part Room-Temperature Curable Materials for 3D Printing…
Source: American Chemical Society…