For a long time, one dream is to build a body of science fiction, such as "Star Wars" Luke Skywalker's hand, "The Fifth Element" in the red-haired girl Li Lu. With 3D printing in the future, yet to catch up with the reality of fantasy, but later with the biological 3D printing, the situation is different, it is the study of body tissues print. Recently, University of Michigan researchers have developed a small creature 3D printer can be used to print on artificial neural tissue.

Michigan Technological University nanomedicine and nanoelectronics laboratory supervisor, associate professor of mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering Tullow said Sue Kufa, nerve regeneration biomedical engineering problems. "We are born with all the nerve cells, and has been with them, once damaged nerve cells can not recover well." But now, nanotechnology biomimetic materials has been able to help spinal cord injury patients, making them the damaged nerve regeneration.

Currently, some equipment can be extremely accurate print out an entire organ, but its volume is as big as a room, placed between the cells cover, culture incubators and refrigerators. The researchers hope that these huge devices become small and flexible, just like their small printer.

According to physicist organizational network recently reported that Michigan Technological University researchers developed this small 3D printer can be placed on an old-fashioned desk, like a front cover and remove the sides of the toaster, stainless steel outer disc surrounded by a metal frame, ultraviolet light shining, the back of the hydraulic system and pipeline. Printer "cartridges" There is a big syringe filled with liquid as a red gum. Just give it on pin print head, you can come up with a computer, printed tissue scaffold.

The key is to have the right to print "bio-ink" before printing organization. Neural need biocompatible tissue as a cell scaffold, and membrane quality nanocrystals have excellent mechanical properties, very fit. In addition, nerve function is to pass an electric pulse, the stent also can conduct electricity. To this end the researchers added in printed material graphene, create a biocompatible graphene - binding polymers, they melt into a gel, rapidly flowing pressure at the print.

The researchers said they apply a further study of a streamlined method for printing the nerve cells. They also hoped that the material can be developed more widely used, not just in nerve regeneration.