3D Bioplotter Research Papers

Patients with chronic stenosis of their ear canal may benefit from additively manufactured individualized drug containing external ear canal implants (EECI) [1] that keep the ear canal open and support the healing of the affected tissue. To guarantee the safety of the patients, the sterilization of implants is important. Autoclaving is a fast and well-established sterilization method, but the heat of the process may damage any drug contained within the implants. To evaluate the suitability of autoclaving EECIs, we tested samples for bio-efficacy and the released drug amount within 3 days.

Postoperative restenosis in patients with external ear canal (EEC) atresia or stenosis is a common complication following canaloplasty. Our aim in this study was to explore the feasibility of using a three dimensionally (3D)-printed, patient-individualized, drug ((dexamethasone (DEX)), and ciprofloxacin (cipro))-releasing external ear canal implant (EECI) as a postoperative stent after canaloplasty. We designed and pre-clinically tested this novel implant for drug release (by high-performance liquid chromatography), biocompatibility (by the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay), bio-efficacy (by the TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-alpha)-reduction test (DEX) and inhibition zone test (for cipro)), and microbial contamination (formation of turbidity or sediments in culture medium).…