Sahlgrenska University Hospital to start trials using 3D printing to reconstruct soft tissue for patients

"Many trials have been conducted using animal models, but fully 3D-printed implants for humans do not yet exist. These implants can be customized for each patient, and in the future, they could be used to reconstruct breasts after cancer surgery, for example. The major benefit is that we reconstruct soft tissue using the patients own tissue, printed to the desired shape," says Lars Kölby, Professor of plastic surgery at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and the University of Gothenburg.

3D printing using biological materials — known as bioprinting — is a technique where bioink containing living cells and biomaterials is printed to create living tissue models, organs, and other biological structures. The process resembles traditional 3D printing, but instead of plastic or metal, biological materials are used.

Practically speaking, it starts with liposuction from the patient. The extracted fat is mechanically processed and mixed with bioink. Small pieces are printed and reinserted into the body.

In the initial trials, these pieces are placed in the subcutaneous fat of the upper arm and removed after several months. Hopefully the first patient can be operated on during 2025, and the initial trials are expected to continue for several years. The Department of plastic surgery at Sahlgrenska University Hospital has worked with bioprinting for nine years and now has all necessary approvals to begin implanting the first 3D-bioprinted implants in humans.

"We’ve come a long way through EMA (European Medicines Agency), the Swedish Medical Products Agency, the National Board of Health and Welfare, and the Health and Social Care Inspectorate to resolve all regulatory issues. Over the years, we’ve been supported by ALF funding, the Swedish Research Council, Vinnova, the IngaBritt and Arne Lundberg Research Foundation, the Gothenburg Medical Society, among others. We’ve also had close collaboration with Paul Gatenholm, former professor at Chalmers," says Lars Kölby.