Hallym-Uppsala: 3D printing with medical applications
Johan Kreuger, Professor at the Department of Medical Cell Biology, will describe the ongoing work on additive manufacturing in Uppsala at the Hallym-Uppsala International Symposium on 13 September, where the theme is AI in Healthcare. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt.
3D printing – or additive manufacturing – is a rapidly developing technology. By building layer upon layer, it is possible to design three-dimensional structures from all kinds of material. Professor Johan Kreuger uses the technology to create biological systems where he can study cells and test drugs. In the long run, he hopes to produce tissues that can be used as transplants in humans.
“My research group studies how cells communicate and respond to different signals. In recent years, we have been using 3D printing more and more in our experiments. We create chips with tiny channels and chambers where you can control how cells are exposed to various substances and investigate how they react. The technology provides an enormous freedom to design the systems we want and then create them ourselves,” he says.
Johan Kreuger also works together with the University Hospital to create tissues that can be used in the future to help patients. Together with doctors and researchers they develop new materials that can be used for 3D printing of tissues for orthopedic and jaw surgery. He thinks this and other collaborations are crucial for his research activities.
“In Uppsala, we have the great advantage of having access to all the skills needed to use and develop 3D printing of both hard materials and soft tissues for medical applications. At Ångström there are experts in materials research and at the hospital there are clinicians who know what the needs are. My group is somewhere in between, with our knowledge of in vitro biological systems and models. We also collaborate with researchers at the pharmaceutical departments to test drugs in biological tissues, and we are part of the national competence centre Additive Manufacturing for the Life Sciences, which is a flagship at the University.”
At the upcoming Hallym-Uppsala International Symposium, where the theme is AI in Healthcare, Johan Kreuger will describe the ongoing work on additive manufacturing in Uppsala, and the collaboration within the University and with external partners. He also believes that the symposium will be an excellent opportunity to expand his network.
“It will be very exciting to hear what the Korean researchers are doing in this area. Technology development and research, for example in medical technology, is incredibly strong in South Korea and I believe that there are synergies between Hallym University and Uppsala where we can complement each other. I hope to find opportunities for joint projects, perhaps in the form of exchanges where we can benefit from our different areas of expertise.”