Keynotes
Shweta Agarwala
Denmark
Jerry Fuh
Singapore
Flavia Libonati
Italy
Igor Yadroitsev
South Africa
Maurice Mommaerts
Belgium
Susmita Bose
USA
Cecilia Persson
Sweden
Ana Ferreira-Duarte
UK
Naresh Kumar
Singapore
Abstracts
Reshaping wearable tech for healthcare through printed electronics
Prof. Shweta Agarwala, Aarhus University, Denmark
Printed electronics (PE) is an emerging technology under the umbrella of additive manufacturing that uses functional inks to print circuits and electrical components on various substrates. The enormous potential of PE can be envisioned in applications ranging from soft robotics, smart textiles to healthcare. The talk will discuss droplet‐based printing techniques (inkjet, aerosol jet, and electrohydrodynamic jet) used to enable next-generation devices. It is important to access surface roughness, porosity and surface tension that will influence ink-substrate interactions for good printability. The talk will showcase our research on building library of printable inks with various functionalities and our efforts in fabricating novel device architectures on unconventional substrates. The limiting factors and challenges of printed electronics that hinder their commercializing and mass adoption will also be discussed.
Shweta Agarwala is tenure-track Assistant professor at Department of Engineering, Aarhus University, Denmark and heads ‘Printed Electronics Technology’ laboratory. Her research focuses on using printed technology route to enable next-generation, biocompatible and biodegradable electronics and healcare devices. Through her research, she is trying to understand interaction of electronic inks on unconventional substrates like paper, textiles, polymers, medical plasters and biomaterials. She obtained her Master's at the prestigious Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) and later defended PhD at National University of Singapore (Singapore). She was a postdoc at the Energy Research Institute in Singapore, and later went to Singapore Centre for 3D Printing to pursue research in printed electronics before travelling to Denmark. Shweta is author of more than 50 peer-reviewed papers published in internationally renowned journals, books and conferences. She serves as the chair of IEEE Women in engineering Denmark section.
Additive manufacturing of nitinol stents for medical applications: current status and future prospects
Prof. Jerry Fuh, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
Additive manufacturing (or 3D printing) of Nitinol allows a tooling-free fabrication of complex device geometries with desired porosity, composition, density, near-net-shape, while requiring little post-processing. Nitinol is a metal alloy comprising of Nickel and Titanium with material properties ideal for implantable devices. It is highly sought after in the medical industry for its three key properties: (1) shape memory; (2) super elasticity; and (3) good biocompatibility. These properties of Nitinol result in the suitability of its usage in self-expanding medical stents, which are small tube-like surgical devices typically used by surgeons to unblock or widen clogged arteries to restore regular blood flow in minimally-invasive vascular surgeries.
Additive manufacturing technologies such as Selective Laser Melting (SLM) have the capability to produce metallic parts with delicate geometric features, while at the same time enabling customization at lower labour cost as digitized CAD files are used for printing, in place of tooling and fixtures. In this talk, the research work conducted at the National University of Singapore Centre for Additive Manufacturing (AM.NUS) to develop complex Nitinol stents that meet medical device standards such as ASTM F2063-05 will be presented. The relationship between the 3D printing process (e.g. optimized parameters and post-processing via electropolishing) and Nitinol properties/microstructures have been investigated in this project. The results demonstrate a good feasibility of 3DPed Nitinol stents meeting regulatory requirements in future. The current challenges and future prospects on such 3DP medical devices will be described in details.
Jerry Fuh is a Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Founding Director and Advisor of NUS Centre for Additive Manufacturing (AM.NUS), Singapore. He is a Fellow of SME and ASME and a PE from California, USA. Dr. Fuh has devoted himself to the research of Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes or 3D Printing (3DP) since 1995. He and his colleagues have established the NUS’s AM/3DP research programme focusing on biomedical applications and set up an advanced 3DP laboratories through several major research & development grants with industrial collaborations.
In 2005, he received the IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award for the work on “Development of Rapid Prototyping Technologies for Precision and Biomedical Engineering” from the Institute of Engineers, Singapore (IES) in recognition of outstanding engineering skills which have made notable contributions to progress engineering in Singapore. He has published over 350 technical papers in advanced manufacturing and design, and supervised over 80 graduate students with 58 are PhD students. He also serves in more than 11 refereed journals as Editor, Associate Editor or Editorial Board Members related to design, manufacturing and AM/3DP.
Blending computation and additive manufacturing for de novo materials design
Prof. Flavia Libonati, University of Genova, Italy
The high quest for lightweight, strength, and toughness is driving the research towards the design of de novo high-performance materials. In structural applications composites generally represent the best option, offering an optimal stiffness-strength balance, combined with a low weight. Yet, their reduced toughness often represents a limitation for structural components. By solving the eternal strength-toughness dichotomy and providing a remarkable amplification of mechanical properties, natural hierarchical materials, such as bone, nacre, wood, may represent an optimal biomimetic model and continue to be a great source of inspiration for new materials design. Today blending computation and additive manufacturing allows researcher to further expand the design space, bringing it to a new level. Here we show different case studies of bio-inspired design, highlighting the effect of a specific hierarchical sub-structure on the local and global properties of the overall structure and the role of the characteristic structural features to trigger specific mechanisms.
Flavia Libonati is Associate Professor at the University of Genoa, Italy and Research Affiliate at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Before she was Assistant Professor at Polytechnic University of Milan, where she also received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. Her primary research interests lie in the field of biological composites and biomimetic materials, with a special focus on the design and manufacturing of bio-inspired multifunctional materials for advanced engineering applications, through a multiscale numerical and experimental approach. She is the recipient of several awards and fellowships and a member of renowned scientific societies.
Medical product development through additive manufacturing
Prof. Igor Yadroitsev, Central University of Technology, South Africa
Additive manufacturing (AM) today is a widely used and mature technology related to industry and the production of end-use components. This is a revolutionary manufacturing technology, opening great opportunities for new designs and for the production of previously impossible complex and functional products. These parts can have unique properties, outperforming other manufacturing methods and are often suitable for the most critical applications. After years of research and development of this manufacturing technique, we are now at the brink of a new era in additive manufacturing, which will include wider adoption and use of this technology, new applications, and disruptive innovations.
AM especially is beneficial in the medical field, allowing for patient specific devices and implants with complex structures to be fabricated relatively cost-effectively compared to other methods. Special advanced implants combining different material properties allow the implant to be more bio-compatible and increase the lifespan. The rising costs of health care are attributed to an increasing number of medical procedures with great complexity and costly instrumentation. Advanced innovative materials and devices must be developed to reduce the time, economic cost, and physical pain, hence the urgent need for this life saving research work by using AM techniques.
Prof. Igor Yadroitsev is a Research Chair in Medical product development through Additive Manufacturing at the Central University of Technology launched by National Research Foundation of South Africa in 2015. He has been involved in the additive manufacturing field with emphasis on laser powder bed fusion in Vitebsk Institution of Technical Acoustics (Belarus) since 1995, when this technology was in its infancy. He continued his research in this area at the National School of Engineering (Saint-Etienne, France) during 2005-2013. Since 2014, Igor Yadroitsev is a professor at the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, Republic of South Africa. His research interests include applied optics and laser technologies: additive manufacturing, laser powder bed fusion of metals and plastics, laser processing, materials science.
Advances in customized craniofacial reconstruction using 3D printing of titanium alloy
Prof. Maurice Mommaerts, European Face Centre, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel/Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Three-dimensional printing is of critical importance in medical engineering and has been growing in recent years. Craniofacial reconstruction is currently shifting from autoplasty towards computer-aided planning and additive manufacturing, which primarily use titanium powders, selective laser melting, computer numeric controlled postmilling, and surface biofunctionalization. Of highest importance is the option to mirror the normal side of the face onto the damaged side and direct facial symmetry at the skeletal level. Restoration of normal, beautiful, and ideal contours is hindered by the preoperative appraisal of the response of the integument and the perception and expectations of the patient.
Maurice Mommaerts is Professor and head, European Face Centre – University Hospital Brussels, Belgium, Coordinator Cleft & Craniofacial Team, University Hospital Brussels, Owner of OrthoFace Aesthetic Clinic, St. Martens-Latem, Consultant Facial Makeover Surgery, GZA & Face Ahead Clinic Antwerp, and Innovation ambassador at CADskills bv.
Further Positions: Honorary past president European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery; Founder and president Academy of Aesthetic Facial Surgery; Docent VUBrussels; Member of the Board of Directors, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Craniofacial Surgery Foundation, Hyderabad, Andrah Pradesh, India; Honorary Member of the Sociedad Española de Cirugía Plástica Facial; Fellow International College of Surgeons; Fellow American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery; Section editor for J Craniomaxillofac Surg, international editorial board member of Annals of Maxillofacial Surgery; Reviewer for J Craniofacial Surg, Ind J Plastic Surg, Am J Cosmetic Surgery.
Post Specialisation
- Fellow Plastic Surgery (University of Miami)
- Board-certified in Oro-Maxillo-Facial Surgery (UEMS)
- Diplôme d'université de Chirurgie Maxillo-Faciale et Plastique de la Face (University of Nancy)
- Medical Forensic Expert (University of Antwerp) - Medical Specialist in Insurance Medicine and Medical Expertise (Belgian Ministry of Public Health)
Additive manufacturing for bone regeneration: Convergence of knowledge
Prof. Susmita Bose, Washington State University, USA
3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM) is playing a critical role in clinical needs for on demand patient matched implants due to better functionalities and shorter lead time to manufacture. Establishing structure - process - property relationships for different AM techniques are vital and AM of multilaterals in single operation is also an exciting innovation. We use calcium phosphate (CaP) based 3D printed tissue engineering scaffolds, and surface modified hip and knee implant devices with controlled chemistry, mechanical strength, biological response, and degradation kinetics. Use of polymer helps in controlling drug release kinetics. In vitro and in vivo studies show improved osteogenesis, angiogenesis and controlled drug delivery using natural medicinal compounds (NMCs) in these 3D printed scaffolds and coatings. These systems are promising towards orthopedic and dental devices while eliminating the need for autografts or second site surgery for harvesting, as well as improving current hip and knee implant lifetime.
Susmita Bose is a scientist and engineer, best known for her research on biomaterials, 3D printing or additive manufacturing of bone implants and natural medicine. She is the Herman and Brita Lindholm Endowed Chair Professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Washington State University. Prof. Bose’s interdisciplinary research interest lies at the interface of chemistry, materials science and engineering, bioengineering and biology, focusing on 3D printed bone tissue engineering scaffolds, surface modified implant materials and drug delivery vehicles. Her group has contributed towards synthesis and processing of calcium phosphate based bioceramics with controlled chemistry and degradation kinetics based on clinical needs, their mechanical and biological property evaluation.
Additive manufacturing in the Life Sciences – needs-based research in cooperation
Prof. Cecilia Persson, University Uppsala, Sweden
AM4Life is a Competence Centre gathering more than 20 partners in academia, industry and the healthcare sector around Additive Manufacturing in the Life Sciences. We focus on six themes – Development of equipment and processes, AM for bioprocessing, AM for implants, Bioprinting, Printing for medication, and Implementation. In this talk I will highlight some key results from each theme, with a particular focus on my own theme, Additive Manufacturing of materials for implants, and in particular biodegradable such, for bone replacement. Biodegradable implants would not only provide the benefit of being replaced by the body’s own tissue, but would also provide a decreased risk for complications such as infection. Additive manufacturing of biodegradable materials not only allows for patient-specific and complex implant designs, but also for gradients of degradation rates, and a tailored local biological response.
Cecilia Persson is a Professor in Applied Materials Science at Uppsala University (https://katalog.uu.se/profile/?id=N9-1332) and the President of the Scandinavian Society of Biomaterials. She currently directs research networks within the field of biomaterials and devices for the spine (MSCA ITN NU-SPINE and EIT Health SOFTBONE), as well as a Competence Centre for Additive Manufacturing in the Life Sciences (https://www.uu.se/en/research/am4life/).
Natural-based bioinks for the manufacturing of biomimetic constructs
Dr. Ana Ferreira-Duarte, Newcastle University, UK
Natural polymers are used to support or guide cellular function by mimicking the native ECM composition and microenvironment. The combination of biofunctional materials and bio-fabrication technologies like bioprinting facilitates the development of bioinspired tissue engineering constructs for regenerative medicine. Bioinks are made of materials that provide the support and structure for cells to survive, grow and proliferate. Multicomponent natural-based bioinks (e.g. alginate, collagen, gelatin, fibrin, chitosan, etc) are formulated to mimic biological composition, networks and environment for cells to grow into a matured tissues. In our recent works, we have demonstrated the importance of bioink composition and cell density in the development of biomimetic and bioinspired tissue engineering constructs, as these directly impact cellular process and tissue maturation rates. Herein, the use of natural-based materials and advanced additive manufacturing technologies for creating biomimetic tissue engineering constructs will be discussed.
Ana Ferreira-Duarte is a biomedical engineer who specialised in biomimetic and bioinspired materials and engineering approaches applied in regenerative medicine. She has completed her PhD at Politecnico di Torino (Italy) in 2013 and received the Award of High Qualification Research Doctorate by Scuola Interpolitecnica di Dottorato. By late 2013, she joined the EC FP7 RESTORATION project and the Arthritis Research UK (ARUK) Tissue Engineering Centre at Newcastle University as Research Associate. She was appointed as Lecturer in Bioengineering within the School of Engineering at Newcastle University in 2015. Her current research is centred on the design of biomaterials and bioinks with advanced functional properties for the manufacturing of biomimetic 3D constructs towards understanding cellular microenvironments and studying potential therapeutic and regenerative values. She is the author of >48 papers in international peer-reviewed journals and co-led 2 patents.
3D Printing in Spine Surgery: Current and Emerging Applications
Prof. Naresh Kumar, National University Health System, National University of Singapore
The versatility of 3D printing allows its benefits and applications to address many areas and unmet clinical needs within spine surgery. The replicative ability of 3D printing can be extended to safely simulate surgical and anatomic conditions by mimicking the structural and textural anatomy, improving the quality of surgical training/teaching and decreasing the dependence on cadavers. At present, surgical instrumentation is trending towards patient specific and pathology specific implants. Patient specific implants cater towards the geometrical aspect of patients’ anatomy, while pathology specific implants cater towards the biomechanical and biological aspects of the patients’ anatomy that has been influenced by their pathology i.e., cancer or degenerative conditions. 3D printing’s versatility in geometrical replication and compatibility with a wide array of materials is highly applicable to these schools of thought. Furthermore, these same qualities can be extended towards more emerging techniques such as targeted or localized therapies.
Naresh Kumar has been practicing medicine for 35 years and spine surgery for 25 years. He is a key opinion leader in the field of metastatic spine disease and is involved in implant development for spinal devices, particularly in the field of metastatic spine tumour surgery. A/Prof Naresh Kumar was the previous president for the Singapore Orthopaedic Association (SOA) in 2019 and is the current president for the Pacific and Asian Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (PASMISS). He is also the lead advisor for development of Icotec ag’s posterior cervical fixation system. He also has been awarded two grants by the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) to develop implant materials for manufacturing pathology specific spinal implants.
Naresh Kumar has over a hundred peer-reviewed publications which comprise major health practice changing techniques and innovations in metastatic spine tumour surgery and implant failure. Some examples include the application of intraoperative cell salvage (IOCS) in MSTS, the novel concepts of asymptomatic implant failure after MSTS, re-admission free survival (ReAFS), and the spinal metastatic invasiveness index (SMII).