Along with springtime showers, April brought a lot of interesting news in Medical Device Manufacturing and 3D Printing. In case you missed it, here are a few highlights of what happened in the MedTech Industry in April.
FDA Commissioner aims to streamline review and beef up technical support
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD laid out an 18-page "roadmap" for achieving the FDA’s 2018 goals and objectives. The broad sweep of initiatives addresses four main objectives: reducing opiod and other addictions, leveraging innovation and competition, empowering consumers and strengthening FDA’s scientific workforce.
3D printing, also known as “additive manufacturing”, is a growing industry, specifically in the spinal surgery area. The anatomy of the spine is complex, and the nature of the surrounding structures are extremely delicate. Three-dimensional printing has shown the potential to aid surgical planning and enhance procedural accuracy.
A major challenge to 3D printing living tissues is that many 3D printing techniques are based on using heat or ultraviolet light, which can damage or kill living cells.
To address this challenge, researchers at the University of Twente (UT) in Enschede, Netherlands are taking a page from biochip technology that adapted microfluidics for a variety of biocompatible applications.
According a systematic literature review in the Journal of Spine Surgery, the fast-growing 3D printing industry could lead to enhanced spine implants, decreased surgical time, and improved patient outcomes in spine surgery. Here are eight trends in the spine surgery industry for 3D printing:
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