Restoring blood flow to damaged tissue is a major challenge in reconstructive surgery. Researchers at Penn State are testing a combination of 3D bioprinting and a surgical technique called micropuncture to address this problem, supported by a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
The research is led by Ibrahim Ozbolat, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in 3D Bioprinting and Regenerative Medicine and professor of engineering science and mechanics, biomedical engineering, and neurosurgery, and Dino Ravnic, professor of surgery and the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Regenerative Medicine and Surgical Sciences at the College of Medicine.
“The grant is addressing one of the major issues, which is vascularization,” Ozbolat said. “Repairing tissues and organs depends on how well vascularization is provided to them, so that you can have blood supply move right through those structures, and you can keep the cells viable. Otherwise, without vascularization, the tissue will die.”
Guiding Vessel Growth with 3D Bioprinting
Ozbolat noted that previous methods have not fully solved this problem. “Growing vessels is a big problem,” he said. “There have been those who have been successful in part, but still, the blood vessels grow randomly and not really controlled.”
Random vessel growth can lead to uneven healing or tissue death. To address this, Ozbolat’s team is using 3D bioprinting to guide vessel formation. Ozbolat explained that the team’s goal is to control not only the direction but also the speed of vascular growth in engineered tissue. He said the key lies in how the 3D printing process dictates the orientation of vessels.
He added that the 3D printed structures act as templates for vessel growth. “Think about a mold of a biomaterial that we 3D print, and this mold has some vascular channels in it. Then we basically guide the blood vessels growing through these openings. We can make Y channels. We can make straight channels. So, when you have the straight channel, the vessel grows straight. When you have the Y, we envision that we can make something that branches.”
Micropuncture Combined with Bioprinting
The project also incorporates Ravnic’s surgical technique called micropuncture. Using an ultra-fine needle, tiny holes are made in existing blood vessels, triggering natural sprouting of new vessels.
“We found that when we create these very small punctures, blood vessels rapidly sprout out of them,” Ravnic said. “By combining this with Ibrahim’s printed scaffolds, we can actually guide where those vessels grow and help them connect to the implant much more effectively.”
The two approaches — bioprinted templates and micropuncture — are designed to work together. Early tests in animal models have shown that vessels can sprout from punctures and grow along printed templates.
“We actually created those little holes, micropunctures on the sagittal sinus vein. It’s the largest vein on the brain,” Ravnic said. “Right on top of the holes, we put the structure that we 3D printed. And then through the micropuncture holes on the blood vessel, vessels sprouted and grew. And then via the 3D printed template, we actually guided their direction.”
The team continues to test the method in animals. Clinical use is still in the future, but researchers see the potential to improve outcomes for patients with severe skull and facial injuries. “Our goal is to develop solutions that can restore form and function for patients who have suffered devastating injuries,” Ravnic said. “If we can make engineered tissues that survive and thrive in the body, the impact could be lifechanging. We envision a future where surgeons will not only repair but truly rebuild the human body.”
Personalized Surgery and 3D Printing Innovations
Beyond vascularization research, 3D printing is also being applied in other areas of personalized surgery. In September, UC San Diego Health, the academic medical system of the University of California, San Diego, performed the world’s first anterior cervical spine surgery using a fully customized implant designed for a patient’s anatomy. By providing precise spinal alignment and minimizing disruption to surrounding structures, the personalized implant reduces surgical complications, accelerates recovery, and lowers the risk of future corrective procedures.
Elsewhere, Ricoh USA entered a strategic partnership with Insight Surgery, a Houston-based medtech company specializing in personalized surgical planning and guide production. The collaboration aims to bring patient-specific surgical guides to pediatric and adult orthopedic and maxillofacial procedures, enhancing surgical precision and outcomes across U.S. hospitals. Under the agreement, Ricoh 3D for Healthcare will distribute Insight Surgery’s custom guides, supporting procedures such as osteotomies, pelvic surgeries, limb deformity corrections, orthopedic oncology cases, and facial reconstructions. Each guide translates a patient-specific virtual surgical plan directly onto the anatomy, helping surgeons achieve higher accuracy during operations.
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Featured photo shows 3D bioprinted soft tissue scaffold with vascularization channels designed and produced by 3D Systems and CollPlant. Photo via 3D Systems.
