In Pigs, Researchers Show Ultrasound Could be Used for 3D Printing Inside the Body

Imagine getting surgery without ever being cut open. Researchers at Duke University and Harvard Medical School have successfully demonstrated a proof of concept in new research published last week in Science using a 3D printer that uses ultrasound to print biomaterials inside an organ.

“We are developing this ultrasound printer, which uses ultrasound waves to convert the sono-ink developed by Shirke’s lab into three-dimensional structures actually inside the tissue without the need to print it out, then implant it into the tissue,” Junjie Yao, a bioengineer at Duke University told STAT. Read more from STAT News here.