Researchers said that gastrointestinal injuries, such as ulcers or bleeding, may one day be treated with bioprinters, each of which is the size of a pill and can be directed to wound sites to print tissue for repair.
This bioprinter is still in the experimental phase, and is designed in the form of a ballpoint pen with a spring-loaded tip that releases ink.
The device contains a small “bio-ink” chamber and a spring-loaded piston mechanism that pushes the material out.
The ink is released from outside the body with a near-infrared laser beam that safely penetrates the tissue.
As the bioink emerges, the capsule is guided by an external magnet mounted on a robotic arm that resembles joystick steering, the researchers said in the journal Advanced Science.
They added that the device can later be withdrawn orally using magnetic guidance.
So far, researchers are using their device to inject bioink into the stomachs of rabbits.
“In our laboratory experiments, the cell-laden bioink maintained its structural integrity for more than 16 days,” Sanjay Manoharan, who led the study, from the Lausanne Federal School of Applied Sciences, said in a statement.
He added that his team also hopes to test this method on injured blood vessels and abdominal wall tissue.
In addition to protecting the ulcerated area from infectious juices, the bioink could be combined with drugs or cells to promote tissue repair, the researchers said.