3D bioprinting technology offers a promising solution to healthcare infection challenges, says Vidmantas Šakalys, CEO of Vital3D Technologies.
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) remain a significant concern in modern medicine, with approximately one in 31 hospital patients in the US experiencing at least one infection any given day.
These infections, along with surgical complications and immune rejection of transplants, contribute to extended recovery times, increased healthcare costs, and higher mortality rates.
In the EU, more than 3.5 million cases of HAI are reported each year, leading to over 90 thousand deaths annually.
3D bioprinting technology offers a promising solution to these challenges. By creating patient-specific, biocompatible tissues and structures using a patient’s own cells, this technology has the potential to significantly reduce infection risks, minimise immune rejection, and improve surgical outcomes across various medical fields.
Reduced infection and improved safety
Bioprinting is typically done in cleanroom environments or biosafety cabinets that are HEPA-filtered to remove particulates, microbes, and spores.
Traditional donor tissue, by contrast, is often harvested in hospitals or operating rooms, where sterility is harder to maintain over long distances and times.
The technology also reduces contamination risk through decreased handling time, and bioprinted tissues can be created shortly before use, minimising storage time/exposure.
They’re tailored to specific patient needs, reducing the need for post-processing or modification that introduces contamination opportunities. Traditional implants often sit in storage or are mass-produced, increasing the need for repeated sterilization cycles and risk of contamination during transport.
Cutting antibiotic use with personalised implants
The overuse of antibiotics to treat infections is a leading contributor to developing drug-resistant pathogens, according to the WHO, which estimates that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could result in $1 trillion in additional healthcare costs by 2050.
Bioprinted tissues and implants aim to address the issue early by reducing infection instances, therefore decreasing the need for antibiotic medications during and after surgical procedures.
Bioprinted implants, especially when made from the patient’s own cells, are more biocompatible, leading to less inflammation, lower risk of infection, and reduced need for prophylactic antibiotics during and after surgery.
Donor tissues can carry latent infections or contamination risks despite sterilisation, while bioprinted tissues are made in sterile, controlled environments, minimising contamination and avoiding post-op antibiotic treatments.
Post-op antibiotics are often required when surgical revisions are needed, due to infection or poor implant fit. Bioprinted implants tend to reduce such complications, resulting in fewer repeat surgeries and less antibiotic use over time.
Bioprinted tissues can be engineered to release localised antimicrobial agents, like silver nanoparticles, antimicrobial peptides, and localised antibiotics. This allows targeted infection prevention without systemic antibiotic use.
Healing and recovery
Bioprinted tissues also show potential to speed healing times through more natural integration.
For example, bioprinted bone scaffolds seeded with osteoblasts or stem cells have shown faster bone regeneration than traditional grafts in preclinical trials.
This technology is already showing promise in commercial applications. L’Oréal, in collaboration with research institutions, has developed bioprinted skin that can replicate various skin conditions, with potential applications for treating burn patients more effectively than traditional skin grafts.
Other applications are equally promising: bioprinted skin grafts using keratinocytes and fibroblasts have demonstrated faster wound closure, better re-epithelialisation, and reduced scar formation compared to synthetic skin substitutes.
And bioprinted cardiac patches using patient-specific heart cells help the heart remodel more quickly after injury by promoting synchronised contraction and healing.
