3DHEALS, Author at 3DHeals

Interview with Graham Craig: Vascularized 3D Tissue Model

3DHEALS — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 23:59:37 +0000

3DHeals - Discover 3D Bioprinting and Healthcare Innovations

Graham Craig is Chief Commercial Officer at VoxCell, a Canadian biotechnology company developing high-resolution, vascularized 3D tissue models as New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) for drug development. He leads VoxCell’s commercial strategy, global business development, and strategic partnerships, working to put more human-relevant preclinical models into the hands of pharmaceutical companies, CROs, and research institutions, so teams can generate decision-enabling data earlier and reduce reliance on traditional animal testing.

Graham brings more than 18 years of experience in commercialization and strategic partnerships across the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors. Before joining VoxCell he was Director of Corporate Development at AbCellera and held senior roles at STEMCELL Technologies. Earlier in his career he spent seven years as a commercial strategy consultant at IQVIA, advising pharmaceutical companies across Europe, Asia, and North America.

When was the first encounter you had with 3D printing? What was that experience like? What were you thinking at that moment?

Graham: Like a lot of people, my first brush with 3D printing was seeing it as a neat gadget that my friend had. Watching his printer build a plastic F1 car layer by layer and thinking it was pretty clever. The moment that actually stuck with me came much later, when I first saw a bioprinter at work at VoxCell. Instead of plastic, it was polymerizing bioink, building a piece of tissue with an actual vascular network running through it. That reframed the whole thing for me. This was a way to recreate human biology outside the body, and I immediately started thinking about how that could help preclinical drug development.

What inspired you to start your journey/company/career/research in 3D printing (bio-fabrication/bio-printing)?

Graham: My professional background is commercial rather than at the bench. I’ve spent close to two decades helping pharma and biotech companies bring science to market, at IQVIA, STEMCELL Technologies and AbCellera. Through that period I saw two persistent and frustrating patterns: the struggle with building confidence that a preclinical drug might work in humans, and the subsequent “leap of faith” into clinical trials that often ended in failure. When I came across high-resolution bioprinting and the broader New Approach Methodologies movement, it was the first time I saw a credible, commercially viable path to generating human-relevant data early, before hundreds of millions of dollars and years of work are already on the line. Joining VoxCell was a chance to help move that from a promising idea into something the industry actually adopts.

Who inspired you the most along this journey in 3D printing (bio-printing/bio-fabrication)? This can be a mentor, a patient, a celebrity, anyone basically. You can name more than one as well.

Graham: Two people stand out. Dr. Karolina Valente, VoxCell’s founder and CEO, is my biggest influence on the bioprinting side, she built Canada’s first high-resolution 3D bioprinter and has been relentless about solving the vascularization problem many in the field thought was too hard. The other is Dr. Vassilis Lefkaditis, a decision science expert who mentored me early in my career and taught me the value of structure and data in decision-making processes – a discipline that has had a tremendous impact on my career and shaped how I think about problems and opportunities commercially.

What motivates you the most for your work?

Graham: Two things, really. The first is impact on patients; if human-relevant models can help even a handful of good drugs survive to approval that would otherwise have failed, or spare patients from therapies that were never going to work, that’s enormously motivating. The second is the commercial challenge itself. I’m energized by the work of shifting an entire, understandably conservative industry toward a new way of generating evidence. Changing how an industry makes decisions is hard, and I find that genuinely exciting.

What is/are the biggest obstacle(s) in your line of work? If you have conquered them, what were your solutions?

Graham: The biggest obstacle on the commercial side isn’t the technology, it’s inertia. Drug development workflows, regulatory expectations and decades of institutional habit are all built around animal models and it’s a complicated network of internal stakeholders within each player. Even when a human-relevant model is clearly better, buyers reasonably ask whether it’s validated, reproducible and defensible to a regulator. Our answer has been to compete on evidence: generate rigorous, comparative validation data, lean into the growing regulatory momentum behind NAMs (the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 is a good example) and build partnerships, like our collaboration with adMare BioInnovations, that let partners test the models against real programs and de-risk adoption for the rest of the market.

What do you think is (are) the biggest challenge(s) in 3D Printing/bio-printing? What do you think the potential solution(s) is (are)?

Graham: I am biased of course, but for bioprinting specifically, vascularization is still the central technical challenge. Without a functioning network of vessels you can’t keep complex tissue alive long enough for a meaningful experimental window, and you miss the very structure a drug needs to navigate in order to reach its target. That’s exactly the problem VoxCell was built to solve. Beyond that, the field has to crack reproducibility and standardization, so a model printed today matches one printed next month, possibly in in another lab, along with the throughput needed for routine industrial use. And the whole space needs regulators to keep formalizing how these models are qualified and accepted. The solutions are underway on all three fronts: higher-resolution printing of vascular structures, standardized protocols, and regulatory frameworks that are finally catching up to the science.

If you are granted three wishes by a higher being, what would they be?

Graham: I’m going to assume world peace, lottery numbers in advance and the ability to fly are all off the table. So, more realistically, given this is an industry interview: health and time with the people I love; the big industry players finally taking their own “leap of faith” with NAMs; and animal testing becoming the exception rather than the norm.

What advice would you give to a smart driven college student in the “real world”? What bad advices you heard should they ignore?

Graham: Get comfortable working at the edges between disciplines. Some of the most successful people I’ve worked with aren’t the deepest specialists, they’re the ones who can weave between the science and the market, or between the lab and the clinic, and translate. Build real relationships, stay curious outside your lane, and protect your optionality early rather than over-committing to a rigid plan. The advice I’d ignore is the pressure to map out a long-term career path and get married to “where you see yourself in five years’ time”. The most interesting opportunities I’ve had weren’t on any plan I could have written at 22, they came from being prepared and saying yes when something unexpected showed up. Seek good advisors and pay it forward later.

What’s your favorite book you read this year and why? Alternatively, what’s your favorite book of all times you read and why?

Graham: Earlier this year I read An Elegant Defense by Matt Richtel, which tells the science of the immune system through four real patients’ stories. It takes something as intricate as immunology and makes it gripping and human. It resonated professionally as well, much of modern drug development now centres on immuno-based therapies, which we’ve been testing using the models we build at VoxCell. We’re very excited to show the pain points we can address for translational teams working on such novel therapies.

Episode #98 | Meeting the Bioprinting Vascular Challenge: VoxCell CEO Dr. Karolina Valente

Episode 122: New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) with Dr. Lowry Curley

Event Recap: The 3D Bioprinting Frontier

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The Lattice March 2026: FDA Clearances, Bioprinted Tissue, AI-Powered AM (show notes)

3DHEALS — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 04:17:07 +0000

3DHeals - Discover 3D Bioprinting and Healthcare Innovations

The pace of innovation in healthcare, 3D printing, and medical additive manufacturing has never been faster. From 3D-printed spinal implants receiving FDA 510(k) clearance to bioprinted uterine and pancreatic tissue models advancing drug discovery to a hospital in Spain cutting rehabilitation equipment costs by 97.6% with in-house additive manufacturing, this month’s newsletter podcast touches every corner of the medical 3D printing landscape. Whether you’re tracking regenerative medicine, personalized medical devices, surgical simulation, or the commercialization of bioprinted organs, this episode captures the breakthroughs, funding milestones, and regulatory wins shaping the future of medicine.

⚠️ Disclaimer:
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The views expressed do not constitute engineering, medical, or financial advice. The technologies and procedures discussed may not be commercially available or suitable for every case. Always consult with a qualified professional.

Episode 109 — A monthly roundup of the most significant developments in healthcare additive manufacturing.

🧬 Bioprinting & Living Tissue

The most active area in healthcare 3D printing this month, with major advances across reproductive medicine, oncology, and organ-scale tissue engineering.

Bioprinting a uterus to prevent preterm birth. After nearly a decade of work, Prof. Heather Burkin’s interdisciplinary team at UNR School of Medicine has developed a bioprinted model mimicking the human uterus at the end of pregnancy — enabling drug testing for preterm labor without human subjects. Faculty from pharmacology, engineering, and biochemistry collaborated using tissue therapeutics from Aspect Biosystems, with the model published in a peer-reviewed journal in October 2025. The team plans multiple versions matched to specific preterm risk factors, moving toward personalized treatments. 🔗 https://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2026/bioprinting-reproductive-research

ENLIGHT project: Bioprinting a functional pancreas for diabetes drug discovery. Rousselot’s X-Pure® gelatin-based bioinks are at the heart of a EU-backed, €3.6 million pan-European consortium (including UMC Utrecht, ETH Zürich, EPFL, AstraZeneca, and Readily3D) aiming to build living pancreatic models for drug testing. Key breakthroughs include a GelMA suspension medium that needs no temperature control, volumetric bioprinting that completes in under a minute (vs. an hour for conventional methods), and cell-laden gels viable over 21 days. The long-term goal: iPSC-powered patient-specific tissue for any organ. 🔗 https://www.voxelmatters.com/rousselot-new-bioprinting-possibilities-enlight-project/

Cellbricks Therapeutics raises €10M for vascularized tissue implants. The Berlin/Boston company announced a €7M seed round plus €3M+ in non-dilutive funding to advance its lead adipose tissue implant program — targeting soft tissue defects and breast reconstruction as a biological alternative to synthetic implants. Its proprietary biofabrication platform produces vascularized constructs (with built-in blood vessel networks), historically the hardest problem in the field. Backed by Silicon Roundabout Ventures, Germany’s SPRIND, and ACT Venture Partners. 🔗 https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/cellbricks-therapeutics-raises-10-million-new-capital-to-move-living-tissue-implants-toward-the-clinic

Singapore maps a national biofabrication ecosystem. A comprehensive review in Bio-Design and Manufacturing (Springer, March 2026) surveys Singapore’s advances across sustainable bio-derived materials (human hair keratin, aquaculture side-streams, plant polysaccharides), enabling fabrication technologies (electrospinning, 3D bioprinting, metal AM), and emerging applications including ML-assisted manufacturing, food biomanufacturing, regenerative cell therapy, microneedles, and bioelectronics. The standout angle: waste streams as clinical-grade biomaterial inputs — a circular bioeconomy model. 🔗 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1631/bdm.2500639

TOPPAN 3D prints marbled cultured meat. TOPPAN Holdings received a national research award from Japan’s Society of Printing Science and Technology for its invivoid™ 3D cell culture platform, which uses proprietary collagen microfiber bioink to fabricate cultured meat with realistic fat marbling — developed in collaboration with Osaka University. Long-term applications extend to personalized medicine. A second award went to TOPPAN Digital for a color-matching function estimation technique enabling display colors to be tailored to individual visual perception, with applications in telemedicine and e-commerce. 🔗 https://www.holdings.toppan.com/en/news/03/newsrelease260317_1.html

🦴 FDA Clearances & Surgical Implants

A strong month for regulatory milestones, with cleared devices moving directly into the operating room.

Spinal Elements: FDA 510(k) clearance for Ventana A ALIF. The California company received clearance for its hinged, additively manufactured titanium ALIF spinal implant — designed to maximize bone graft volume, reduce implant density, improve load sharing, and lower subsidence risk. First clinical cases were performed at Texas Spine Consultants and the Spine Institute of Arizona at time of announcement. 🔗 https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/spinal-elements-receives-fda-510k-clearance-for-3d-printed-ventana-a-alif-spinal-implant-250140/

Cureus review: The state of 3D printed lumbar interbody cages. A new review covers geometry, biomaterials (PEEK, titanium, 3D-printed porous metals), biomechanics, and clinical challenges including subsidence and pseudoarthrosis — as well as emerging innovations such as bioactive coatings, patient-specific implants, and AM for improved fusion. 🔗 https://www.cureus.com/articles/473978-lumbar-interbody-cages-design-characteristics-biomaterials-biomechanical-performance-clinical-challenges-and-emerging-innovations#!/

3D Systems: Full EU MDR certification for NextDent Jetted Dentures. Following the 2025 U.S. launch, 3D Systems secured full-scope EU MDR certification for its NextDent® Jetted Denture Solution, targeting a European commercial launch in summer 2026. The NextDent 300 MultiJet printer enables dental labs to produce one-piece dentures faster and at lower cost than traditional methods — in a market of 180+ million denture wearers globally, with $400M+ in potential annual recurring materials revenue. 🔗 https://www.3dsystems.com/press-releases/3d-systems-achieves-full-scope-eu-mdr-certification-accelerating-european-launch

🎗️ Oncology & Cancer Research

Cairn Surgical files FDA De Novo for 3D printed Breast Cancer Locator. The BCL System uses supine MRI data to produce a patient-specific 3D printed surgical guide providing surgeons with precise tumor shape, size, and location during lumpectomy — information conventional imaging fails to deliver (scans underestimate tumor size in 50%+ of cases). Clinical data shows 94% negative margin rates. Full trial results will be presented at the American Society of Breast Surgeons in April. 🔗 https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/cairn-surgicals-3d-printed-breast-cancer-locator-heads-to-fda-250129/

Rice University’s ATLAS models metastatic cancer in the bloodstream. The Advanced Tumor Landscape Analysis System uses 3D-printed superhydrophobic microwell arrays to generate scalable, lower-cost clusters of cancer cells replicating bloodstream conditions. Key finding: cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) act as “escorts” that shield metastatic cancer clusters from blood flow stress. Future prostate cancer drugs may target these CAF escorts to prevent metastasis. Commercialization is underway via a startup called Bionostic. 🔗 https://www.voxelmatters.com/rice-university-uses-3d-printing-to-model-metastatic-cancer-cell-clusters/

🧠 Surgical Training & Simulation

University of Missouri: Lifelike 3D printed brain phantoms. Researchers used embedded 3D printing — depositing soft polymer ink in a jelly-like support bath — to reproduce the brain’s heterogeneous stiffness, folds, and grooves with mechanical, thermal, and dielectric properties close to real tissue. The ink crosslinks via heat or UV (no freeze/thaw cycle required). Current models are ~15% of actual brain size; full-scale versions are targeted within a year. Applications include surgical training, TBI research, concussion modeling, and patient-specific pre-surgical practice from MRI scans. 🔗 https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/lifelike-3d-printed-training-brains-react-real-organs-2026a10008if

WSU: Beating 3D printed heart model for surgical rehearsal. Researchers at Washington State University developed a soft, pneumatically actuated model of the left heart with embedded sensors that simulate contraction, monitor “blood pressure,” and visualize regurgitation with ultrasound — enabling valve repair rehearsal without animals or cadavers. A step toward patient-specific pre-surgical simulation for minimally invasive cardiac procedures. 🔗 https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2026/03/04/researchers-develop-beating-3d-printed-heart-model-for-surgical-practice/

UTS/HRI: 3D cardiac spheroids reveal how COVID-19 damages the heart. A study in Biofabrication from UTS and the Heart Research Institute shows SARS-CoV-2 directly infects 3D human cardiac spheroids, triggering antiviral, inflammatory, fibrotic, and contractile gene changes in a dose-dependent manner — offering a platform to test cardioprotective therapies for COVID-related heart damage. 🔗 https://www.uts.edu.au/news/2026/03/mini-hearts-show-covid-19-virus-directly-infects-heart-tissue

🤖 Robotics & Advanced Manufacturing

Leiden University: Brain-free microrobots that swim like animals. Researchers created microscopic robots just 5 micrometres long — 3D printed on a Nanoscribe printer at the limits of technical possibility — that swim, navigate obstacles, and avoid each other with zero electronics, software, or sensors. Their behavior emerges entirely from shape and physics, mimicking animal locomotion. Potential applications include targeted drug delivery and minimally invasive procedures. Published in PNAS by Prof. Daniela Kraft and Mengshi Wei. 🔗 https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2026/03/alive-or-not-tiny-3d-printed-robots-without-a-brain-that-swim-and-navigate-just-like-animals

DARPA bets $500K on AI-powered AM quality control. UCF’s Dazhong Wu received a DARPA Young Faculty Award for “AI-Enabled Affordable and Scalable Additive Manufacturing Part Qualification” — a machine learning model that predicts defects and mechanical performance from minimal test data, replacing costly destructive testing cycles for titanium aerospace parts. Up to $1M total over three years, with implications across aerospace, healthcare, and automotive. 🔗 https://www.ucf.edu/news/ucf-researcher-receives-darpa-young-faculty-award-to-develop-novel-3d-printing-technique/

UNIST: Droplet-based volumetric 3D printing for serial production. Researchers demonstrated a Dispensing Volumetric Additive Manufacturing (DVAM) method — printing photocurable resin inside a suspended droplet from a glass pipette, curing in under a minute, with less than 3 seconds of non-printing time between parts. A YOLO-based AI framework handles real-time droplet shape detection; an inverse ray-tracing algorithm corrects optical distortion without index-matching fluid. Ten different objects in ten minutes. Published in Advanced Functional Materials. 🔗 https://www.voxelmatters.com/researchers-demonstrate-droplet-based-volumetric-3d-printing-for-serial-production/

BMF launches microArch S150: Sub-25μm micro-precision printing. Boston Micro Fabrication’s new platform brings sub-25 μm resolution and tight tolerances to microfluidics, drug delivery devices, surgical tools, and MEMS-like medical components — bridging the gap between prototyping and production-grade microfabrication. 🔗 https://www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com/bmf-launches-microarch-s150-series-micro-precision-3d-printers/

🏥 Point-of-Care & Health System Innovation

Tenerife hospital cuts rehab equipment costs by 97.6%. La Candelaria University Hospital in Spain now 3D prints custom hand rehabilitation tools in-house, dropping per-batch costs from €2,316 (supplier) to €56 (in-house printer) — a 97.6% saving. The Occupational Therapy team has produced ~30 patient-specific pieces for tendon ruptures, metacarpal fractures, and limited mobility conditions, with better clinical outcomes than rigid commercial molds. The hospital is also printing discontinued maintenance parts and plans to build a national prototype database for use across Spanish hospitals. 🔗 https://www.voxelmatters.com/tenerife-hospital-using-3d-printing-to-cut-rehab-equipment-costs-by-up-to-97-6/

📐 Materials & Process Science

National Taiwan University: PDMS casting vs. DIW silicone for tissue scaffolds. A systematic comparison of two silicone scaffold fabrication routes — PDMS mold casting and direct ink writing (DIW) of RTV silicone — mapped how each affects geometric fidelity, structural integrity, and biocompatibility. A segmented DIW “pause” strategy cut dimensional deviations by more than half and sharply reduced gravitational sagging. Practical design guidelines delivered rather than a single winner, helping engineers choose the right process for their scaffold requirements. 🔗 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6439/ae4bea

Xometry guide: Biocompatible 3D printing for medical devices. A practical primer covering material selection (PEEK, titanium, medical-grade polymers), certification pathways (ISO 10993, USP Class VI), and process control for compliant, patient-safe parts — targeting medtech teams moving from prototype to regulated product. 🔗 https://3druck.com/en/guest-contributions/xometry-how-to-print-biocompatible-products-in-3d-39154869

💬 Perspective

AI in medical 3D printing: reality check. Jack Heslin of Creatz3D offers a sober assessment of where AI genuinely helps today (design automation, build prep, QA) vs. where regulation, data quality, and manufacturability still limit fully AI-driven patient-specific implants. Essential reading for anyone building in medical AM and trying to separate hype from deployable reality. 🔗 https://www.mddionline.com/3d-printing/creatz3d-executive-on-the-reality-check-for-ai-in-medical-device-3d-printing

The Lattice is produced for educational and informational purposes. Subscribe for monthly healthcare AM coverage.

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Post-Processing : The Last Piece of Puzzle? 🗓

3DHEALS — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 20:14:36 +0000

3DHeals - Discover 3D Bioprinting and Healthcare Innovations

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Next-Gen 3D Printed Orthotics and Prosthetics 🗓

3DHEALS — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 20:01:56 +0000

3DHeals - Discover 3D Bioprinting and Healthcare Innovations

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Registration

Speakers:

Jade Ward

Jade is the Research Development Specialist for the AMPrint Center at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Holding a PhD in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, her work centers on enhancing prosthetic and orthotic device design using additive technologies, and she has instructed several courses in the field. As a passionate changemaker, Jade received the Bruce R. James Distinguished Public Service Award for her non-profit initiatives to increase access to low-cost 3D-printed upper limb prostheses in low-resource areas. And now, Jade is driving the Center’s engagement with the latest bioprinting innovations in healthcare, integrating technology with biology toward transformative real-world impact.

Tergel Bayarsaikhan

Tergel Bayarsaikhan is the founder and CEO of Rightfit, a Mongolia-based medtech company building an AI-assisted orthotic design platform with outcome tracking, optimized for 3D printing. Rightfit enables clinicians to design patient-specific ankle foot orthoses and print them locally on desktop printers, bringing custom orthotics to patients in a country with no formal prosthetics and orthotics profession.

He holds an MSc in Architectural Engineering from Budapest University of Technology and Economics, where he researched 3D printing with recycled materials. His first medical 3D print was a grip to help his grandmother hold a kitchen knife, which set him on the path to founding Rightfit in 2023.

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Biomaterials Frontier for Medical 3D Printing 🗓

3DHEALS — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 19:57:53 +0000

3DHeals - Discover 3D Bioprinting and Healthcare Innovations

The defining shift of 2026 is from printing structure to printing function, and from lab-stage novelty toward standardized, regulator-legible material systems. Biomaterials is moving from a printable-hydrogel or metal powder afterthought to the regulated, functional, investment-grade core of 3D-printed medicine across soft (function-first bioresins), hard (ion-releasing ceramics and bioactive glass), and structural (titanium and titanium-tantalum lattices) tracks at once. Biomaterials Frontier convenes the researchers, founders, and industry leaders defining that shift.

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Speakers:

Scott Taylor, PhD

Dr. Scott Taylor is Director of Product Engineering at Poly-Med and specializes in material selection and medical device design. He has worked on development teams for more than twenty marketed medical devices and is experienced in the creation of novel materials and processes, product design and development, advanced manufacturing services, application and development of intellectual property, as well as physical and chemical testing protocols.

His 10-year involvement with ASTM includes the development and maintenance of standards within committees F04 (Medical and Surgical Materials and Devices) and F42 (Additive Manufacturing Technologies), including chairing the joint group for absorbable polymeric materials and test methods.

Dr. Taylor has undergraduate degrees in physics and mechanical engineering from Furman University and Clemson University, respectively, and completed his doctorate in Bioengineering from Clemson University. Through his tenure, Dr. Taylor has published numerous papers and conference abstracts, several book chapters, and is inventor for more than 25 US and international patents. In addition to his position at Poly-Med, he maintains an appointment as adjunct faculty of Bioengineering at Clemson University.

Fabian Trumper

Fabian Trumper is the Co-Founder and CEO of Arrakis Bio, an Israeli biotech company revolutionizing the field of regenerative human biomaterials with its True Human Collagen™, the best biomaterial for regenerative medical and aesthetics applications, bio-manufactured using cultivated human dermal fibroblasts in an industrially scalable process. He is a 3X founder, with over two decades of product, technology, and business leadership across deep tech and life sciences, including as VP of Products and Co-Founder at LightBits Labs and CEO and Co-Founder at Bountica. Fabian holds an MBA in Marketing Strategy from INSEAD.

Prof. Kamal Choudhary

Kamal Choudhary is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, with a joint appointment in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He is an elected fellow of the American Physical Society. His research focuses on atomistic materials design using classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and machine learning methods to accelerate experimental discovery. He earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida in 2015 and previously served as a Staff Scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He is the creator of the widely used JARVIS , AtomGPT.org and the ChatGPT Material Explorer infrastructures for materials design with over 200000 users wordlwide. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, with over 10000 citations. He serves as an associate editor for Nature: npj Computational Materials, and is an editorial board member of Materials Today Communications, PRX Energy, and Machine Learning: Science and Technology journals.

Andrew C. Weems

Resilient founder and CEO Dr Andrew Weems (PhD) is a former assistant professor at Ohio University specializing in medical devices, degradable polymers, photopolymers, and biomedical engineering. He is a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors, he previously founded the UK company 4D Medicine Ltd, developing photopolymer resins, and he has worked on Class 1, 2 and 3 medical devices. At Resilient Medical, Weems has multiple patents related to tissue scaffolding devices and has led the commercialization efforts of the Bravo device platform, including regulatory strategy development, fundraising, and product development.

Ebrahim Yarali

Ebrahim Yarali is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine (MERLN), Maastricht University. His multi-disciplinary research focuses on developing acoustic-responsive 3D architected biomaterials that promote skeletal regeneration by guiding both chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. By integrating advanced mechanical modeling, acoustic wave stimulation, and cutting-edge biofabrication techniques, he aims to address major healthcare challenges, particularly osteoarthritis as one of the most common musculoskeletal diseases.

He earned his PhD from the Departments of Biomechanical Engineering and Precision and Microsystems Engineering at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) and holds M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in Mechanical Engineering. His prior work has focused on the mechanobiology of bone-cell-laden architected biomaterials, stimuli-responsive (smart) materials, 4D printing, and micro-additive manufacturing. With around 20 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, such as Nature Communications and Advanced Materials, he aims to translate stimuli-responsive architected biomaterials into clinical applications through multidisciplinary approaches that advance tissue engineering.

Moderator:

Craig Rosenblum

Craig Rosenblum is President of Himed, LLC, a global leader in calcium phosphate biomaterials with over 35 years of innovation in plasma spray coatings and surface treatments for medical and dental devices. He collaborates with manufacturers worldwide to deliver advanced biomaterial solutions and has led interdisciplinary teams to drive the company’s growth and industry leadership. Craig discovered a unique application for post-processing of additively manufactured medical devices using Himed’s proprietary and biocompatible resorbable blast media. Himed has established the Bioceramics Center of ExcellenceTM to develop new bioceramic bioinks and rapid prototyping of next-generation medical implant designs.

Craig holds both a BS and MS in Materials Science & Engineering (Biomaterials) from The Johns Hopkins University. His groundbreaking research explored the variations in the microstructure and mechanical properties of dental enamel, first demonstrating its unique heterogeneous nature. Craig remains active with Johns Hopkins as a member of the Materials Science & Engineering Advisory Committee.

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New Approach Methodologies: From Theory to Validation 🗓

3DHEALS — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 19:51:07 +0000

3DHeals - Discover 3D Bioprinting and Healthcare Innovations

New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) are redefining how preclinical safety and efficacy are evaluated by shifting away from traditional animal models toward human-relevant, technology-driven approaches such as complex in vitro systems, 3D organoids, organs-on-chips, and in silico modeling. These methods aim to improve the predictive power of human responses, reduce development time and cost, and minimize the ethical and scientific limitations of animal testing, aligning with broader efforts across the life sciences to modernize drug development. NAMs are increasingly central in conversations about AI-enhanced 3D models, microphysiological systems, and data-rich platforms that can better capture human biology at the preclinical stage.[fda] In the United States, recent FDA policy initiatives have begun to operationalize this vision by providing a formal validation and regulatory framework for NAMs in preclinical drug development. In March 2026, the FDA released draft guidance, “General Considerations for the Use of New Approach Methodologies in Drug Development,” outlining principles for human biological relevance, technical characterization, and fit-for-purpose use of NAMs in nonclinical safety packages submitted with INDs. Complementary actions under broader modernization efforts, such as Operation TrialBlazer, explicitly encourage the use of NAMs—including AI-powered models and organ-on-chip systems—as alternatives to animal toxicology for dose selection and safety assessment, signaling that regulators now expect sponsors to consider NAMs when they can improve human predictivity and support safer, faster translation to first-in-human trials.[fda] In this upcoming virtual event, our panelists will focus on the latest technical development, industry adoption, and regulatory landscape surrounding approaches using biofabrication and microfluidics-focused platforms.

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Speakers:

Andrew Lee

Andrew is the co-founder and senior scientist at FluidForm Bio, a team based in Boston looking to develop a cure to diabetes. Broadly, Andrew’s interests are in building functionally accurate and sophisticated human tissues that can one day be utilized in a repair, regeneration, and replacement.

Graham Craig

Pranav Joshi

Dr. Pranav Joshi is a translational biomedical scientist and Senior Scientist at Bioprinting Laboratories Inc., where he leads the development and validation of human-relevant 3D cell and organoid platforms for predictive toxicology, drug discovery, and new approach methodologies (NAMs). His work integrates human iPSC-derived brain and liver organoids, microarray 3D bioprinting, dynamic perfusion culture, high-content imaging, and scalable assay development to improve the reproducibility and translational relevance of preclinical testing. He has served as principal investigator on multiple NIH SBIR/STTR projects focused on gene-edited liver organoids, engineered brain organoids for developmental neurotoxicity testing, and pillar/perfusion plate systems for scalable organoid culture.

At Bioprinting Laboratories, Dr. Joshi has played a central role in translating organoid and microphysiological system technologies from research concepts into commercially deployable platforms for high-throughput screening. His recent work focuses on the scale-up, quality control, cryopreservation, and assay-ready deployment of human organoids for toxicology and drug screening. He also served as technical lead for an NIH I-Corps program focused on understanding barriers to adoption of advanced human-relevant models, and his team’s “Human Brain Organoids to Predict DNT” project was selected as a Phase 1 winner of the NIH Complement-ARIE NAMs Reduction to Practice Challenge. His broader research interests include developmental neurotoxicity, metabolism-mediated toxicity, organoid standardization, and the validation of fit-for-purpose NAMs for academic, industrial, and regulatory applications.

Mike Clements

Dr. Mike Clements is Senior Vice President for Scientific Partnerships and Strategy at Axion BioSystems, where he focuses on advancing the use of human stem cell-derived models and functional cell-based assays in drug discovery and toxicology. He earned his PhD in neuropharmacology from the University of Oxford and completed postdoctoral training in the UK and US.

In 2014, Dr. Clements published the first study using the Maestro multielectrode array (MEA) system with stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, helping demonstrate their potential as predictive tools for preclinical cardiac safety assessment and contributing to work that informed the Comprehensive in Vitro Proarrhythmia Assay (CiPA) initiative. He was also editor of Stem Cell-Derived Models in Toxicology and previously served as President of the Society of Toxicology’s Stem Cells Specialty Section. More recently, he has been involved in Axion BioSystems’ effort to advance its human iPSC-cardiomyocyte MEA assay through the FDA’s ISTAND program, providing a practical example of the journey from an emerging human-relevant model toward a standardized, regulatory-ready New Approach Methodology (NAM).

Alexandre CIVIERE

Biomedical engineer with an MBA and over ten years in biotechnology at the interface of cell technology and medical devices, spanning pre-clinical and clinical R&D for innovative therapies. As Sales & Business Manager at REVIVO BioSystems in Singapore, he works with pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies on human skin models and barrier tissues for safety and efficacy studies.

Moderator:

Lowry Curley

Lowry Curley is a scientist-entrepreneur and developer of foundational neural microphysiological systems (MPS) technology that became the core platform of the first company he founded, AxoSim, which is now 28bio. He took AxoSim from a Tulane University spinout to a venture-backed company that counted nearly every top 25 global pharma company as a customer, translating early-stage research into a validated, human-relevant platform for neurological drug discovery. As founder and CEO, he built a product pipeline on IP licensed from Johns Hopkins, UC San Diego, and Tulane, and led two acquisitions to expand the platform.

He now runs Luna LifeSci, an advisory firm helping pharmaceutical and biotech companies adopt New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in their preclinical programs, as well as helping life science founders and startups accelerate their commercialization, company building, and fundraising strategies.

The post New Approach Methodologies: From Theory to Validation 🗓 appeared first on 3DHeals.

Bench to Bedside: Bioprinting Innovations 🗓

3DHEALS — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 19:42:47 +0000

3DHeals - Discover 3D Bioprinting and Healthcare Innovations

Bench to Bedside: Bioprinting Innovations brings together an exceptional lineup of pioneers spanning the full translational journey of 3D bioprinting — from novel absorbable biomaterials and clinical-grade bone implants to physiologically relevant in vitro models and next-generation drug discovery platforms. This event arrives at a pivotal moment for the field. The global 3D bioprinting market was valued at $2.3 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 15.1%, reaching an estimated $5.4 billion by 2030 (Ref 1), driven by advances in biomaterials, stem cell research, and rising adoption across pharmaceutical and clinical applications. Bioprinted tissue models alone are projected to drive $1.5 billion in drug testing market value by 2028 (Ref 1), while orthopedic implants are expected to capture 33.9% of bioprinting revenue in 2025 (Ref 2) — precisely the intersecting domains our speakers represent. This panel covers every critical layer of the bioprinting ecosystem: the polymer chemistry that makes implants possible, the printing technology that gives them form, the commercial and regulatory strategy that brings them to patients, and the in vitro models that are reshaping how drugs are developed. Whether you are a researcher, clinician, entrepreneur, or investor, this is a conversation you cannot afford to miss.

Apply to speak or sponsor the event: info@3dheals.com

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Rao S. Bezwada

An accomplished scientist and entrepreneur, Rao S. Bezwada, Ph.D. established Bezwada Biomedical, an innovation-based and technology-driven research company, in 2003. The company is focused on developing a wide range of novel absorbable polymeric biomaterials to enhance quality of life by producing next generation bioabsorbable medical devices with therapeutic applications. Dr. Bezwada earned a doctorate in chemistry from the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey and has over 40 years of research experience in the medical device industry, including 20 years of service at Ethicon, Inc. (a Johnson & Johnson Company). While at Ethicon, Dr. Bezwada’s research and development efforts led to the launch of a number of products, including Monocryl®, a new ultra-pliable synthetic absorbable monofilament suture. This product has represented worldwide sales of more than two (2) billion dollars since its launch in 1993 and current annual sales of over 100 million dollars. The development of Monocryl, is a testament to Dr Bezwada’s innovative prowess. Not only has this product significantly impacted medical practices worldwide, but its success also earned him the prestigious Johnson medal from Johnson and Johnson in 1996. His prolific inventiveness, as evidenced by over 150 issued US patents on absorbable polyurethanes, absorbable amino acid polymers, absorbable polyester amides, absorbable polyoxaesters, and controlled release polymers, underscores his dedication to pushing the boundaries of biomedical technology. Dr Bezwada’s leadership and guidance has led to the creation of more than 10 FDA-approved products including MONTAGE® Putty, MONTAGE Fast Set Putty, Montage Flowable Putty, and PERMATAGE Putty, marketed by Abyrx for wound healing and bone applications, all based on Bezwada Biomedical’s absorbable polyurethane technology.

Neeti Srivastava

Dr. Neeti Srivastava has been a key member of Bezwada Biomedical since 2009, bringing over 15 years of experience in biomedical research and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. With deep expertise in absorbable polymers, drug delivery systems, biomaterials, and quality management systems, Dr. Srivastava leads research and development, business development, and quality assurance, always focusing on creating innovative, safe, and effective solutions to improve patient care.

Dr. Srivastava has extensive knowledge of Bezwada’s absorbable polyurethane technology, including bio-based polyurethanes, and holds patents on the technology, solidifying her position as a leader in polymer science. Her contributions were essential in the creation of TissuBond™, a tissue adhesive that secured NSF SBIR Phase I and II grants. She also worked on absorbable polyurethane formulations for a bone hemostat product that received 510(k) approval from the FDA and was commercialized as MONTAGE® by Abyrx, Inc.

Her leadership and dedicated efforts were instrumental in Bezwada Biomedical’s achievement of ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certifications. Through her guidance in building a robust quality management system, she has ensured the company’s commitment to delivering safe and effective polymers that meet the highest regulatory standards.

Dr. Srivastava is also an established voice in the scientific community, having authored multiple scholarly articles and presented her research at esteemed conferences such as the American Chemical Society and the Society for Biomaterials. Her work continues to drive both academic and industrial advancements in biomedical science and drug delivery technologies.

Monica Wellejus

Monica Wellejus is a technology commercialization strategist who has spent almost seven years working at the intersection of biomaterials and medical 3D printing. With an MA in Business, Language, and Culture, Monica entered the field from a non-technical angle but quickly became involved in all aspects of bringing bone regenerative solutions to market, from product development and quality control to regulatory pathways, evidence generation, and global commercialization strategies. She has been part of Ossiform® since 2019, where she manages the company’s commercial and go-to-market activities as the Chief Commercial Officer.

Ossiform® develops bio-integrative bone substitutes with tailored structural properties to improve bone healing outcomes, simplify complex procedures, and reduce complication rates in orthopedics and spine. Its novel 3D printing technology is further used to provide bone-mimicking 3D cell culture systems for improving the physiological relevance of in vitro models in bone and cancer research.

Carlos Ezio

Carlos Ezio is the CEO and co-founder of Criocore, where his work focuses on developing physiologically relevant in vitro models for more predictive drug development. Previously, he spent six years in the Shrike Zhang Lab at Harvard Medical School, where he contributed to more than 30 scientific publications, several patents, and the development of novel technologies. His research focused on biofabrication technologies, including 3D bioprinting, organ-on-chip platforms, and biomedical devices for engineering complex tissue models. Carlos was recognized as an MIT Innovators 35 Under 35 LATAM honoree, a Founder in Residence at Antler, and part of the inaugural cohort of MassVentures’ Founders School.

Joanna Xylas, PhD

Joanna Xylas, PhD, is a biomedical engineer and entrepreneur working at the intersection of biomaterials, manufacturing, and clinical translation. She is a Cofounder and CEO of Materialize Bio, an NSF-backed, Tufts University spinout developing high-performance implants from natural biopolymers using its proprietary GLEN 3D™ manufacturing platform.

Her career has focused on advancing novel technologies into human use. She has led clinical and commercialization strategy for implantable and bio-integrative platforms at companies including Brixton Biosciences and TISSIUM, contributing to the translation of first-in-class, 3D-printed and biosynthetic implants into first-in-human studies.

Through this work, Dr. Xylas has built deep experience bridging engineering, biology, and surgery by partnering with surgeons, shaping clinical strategy, and driving adoption of emerging technologies. She holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Tufts University and is committed to bringing forward technologies that meaningfully improve patient care.

Moderator:

Dr. Jenny Chen

Dr. Jenny Chen is trained as a neuroradiologist, and founder/CEO of 3DHEALS. Her main interests include next-generation education, 3D printing in the healthcare sector, automated biology, and artificial intelligence. She is an angel investor who invests in Pitch3D companies.

The post Bench to Bedside: Bioprinting Innovations 🗓 appeared first on 3DHeals.

Physical AI in Medicine 🗓

3DHEALS — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 19:39:43 +0000

3DHeals - Discover 3D Bioprinting and Healthcare Innovations

Physical AI in Medicine is where intelligent algorithms stop living only in the cloud and begin to shape tangible, patient-specific solutions through 3D technologies and 3D printing. This event will explore how AI-driven workflows are transforming the healthcare industry for the 3DHEALS audience. While the potential impact of “physical AI” could be pervasive and profound, this event focuses on its impact on existing or new 3D technologies in medtech and biotech, such as optimized 3D printing workflow in medicine and dentistry, surgical robots, and even biofabrication. You will unlikely to find another event similar to this one despite the popularity of “physical AI”.

Apply to speak or sponsor the event: info@3dheals.com

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Advancing 3D Surgical Planning 🗓

3DHEALS — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 21:20:53 +0000

3DHeals - Discover 3D Bioprinting and Healthcare Innovations

3D surgical planning is undergoing rapid transformation, converging physical and digital tools into precision-first clinical workflows. The surgical planning software market is projected to surge from $12 billion in 2025 to over $71 billion by 2035, driven by AI integration, personalized medicine, and advanced imaging. Point-of-care manufacturing, AI-driven DICOM segmentation, and solution-as-a-service models are among the most disruptive emerging trends. Orthopedic surgery commands the largest market share at 41.8%, with Stryker, Siemens Healthineers, Brainlab, Materialise, and GE Healthcare among the dominant players. In December 2025, Axial3D received FDA clearance for AI tools that significantly reduce scan-to-model design time — a signal of accelerating regulatory momentum. Risks remain real: reimbursement pathways for patient-specific tools are uneven, regulatory clearance timelines are long, and clinical validation data lag commercial adoption. Interoperability among imaging systems, planning software, and manufacturing workflows remains inconsistent across institutions. Attend this rare event with global experts to understand where the clinical, regulatory, and technological edges meet — and how innovators like those building patient-specific implant systems are solving problems that generic tools simply cannot.

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Speakers:

Tim Van Cleynenbreugel

Tim Van Cleynenbreugel is co-Founder and CTO of Replasia, a Belgian medical device startup focused on hip preservation in young adults. With a PhD in Engineering from KU Leuven and a background spanning polymer and metal additive manufacturing at Materialise Dental and LayerWise, and medical product development and business development at Comate Engineering & Design, Tim brings over two decades of experience at the intersection of engineering, medical imaging, and device development.
At Replasia, he leads the development of HipStudio, a CT-based 3D analysis platform covering both hip dysplasia (DDH) and femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), and the 3D-Shelf System, a patient-specific 3D-printed titanium implant for DDH treatment.

Beatriz Dominguez Gonzalez

Beatriz Dominguez Gonzalez is the Global Market Manager for software in hospitals and universities at Materialise, where she leads global market strategies for 3D planning and printing. Her role involves driving innovation and forging strategic alliances with key opinion leaders to increase the adoption of 3D technologies in hospitals and universities. Beatriz is also a founder member of the EU 3D SIG and a passionate advocate for scientific communities.

Mark Tan

Dr Mark Tan is a Radiologist and the Clinical Lead of the Singapore General Hospital 3D Printing Centre. Dr Tan enjoys working with clinical teams on virtual surgical planning for head and neck, plastic and reconstructive, orthopaedic and cardiac surgeries. Dr Tan also enjoys working with clinical teams, imagers, engineers, administrators, academia and industry on designing and producing from medical imaging, in-house and external to the healthcare facility, patient-specific 3D printed modes of communication for medical imaging as well as medical devices. These include anatomical models for surgical rehearsal and implant sizing, surgical guides for localisation and reconstruction, bespoke orthotics and prosthetics, as well as custom implants, to improve clinical care.

Rashi Gupta

As a Biomedical Engineer, Rashi specializes in patient-specific surgical planning, custom implant design, and 3D printing applications in orthopedics, craniofacial reconstruction, and medical education.
She has over six years of experience in the field, having worked at Imaginarium, one of India’s leading 3D printing companies, where she collaborated with surgeons on complex osteotomies, deformity corrections, and reconstructive procedures. Her expertise spans CT/MRI image segmentation, CAD modeling, surgical guide fabrication, and virtual surgical planning.

Currently based in St. Louis, MO, Rashi is working as a 3D printing Engineer at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s hospital, collaborating with doctors and researchers at Saint Louis University (SLU) and WashU, BJC HealthCare to help inculcate and integrate 3D printing technology into clinical practice.

Highlights of Work:
Designed and developed more than 400 patient-specific surgical guides and anatomical models that reduced surgical time and improved accuracy.
Supported surgeries across orthopedics, craniofacial, and maxillofacial specialties.

Lectures & Training:
Delivered more than 30 workshops and talks on 3D printing in medicine for medical professionals and students in India and internationally.

David B. Pearlstone, MD

Dr. Pearlstone is a founder/principal and CEO of DICOM Director. LLC, as well as a founder and principal at Voxelary Research, Inc. Prior to that, Dr. Pearlstone had a long career in academic medicine, previously serving as Medical Director for Vitas Healthcare of Connecticut, Assistant Professor of Surgery at Yale School of Medicine, Director of Breast Services at Hackensack University Medical Center, and Associate Chairman of Surgery, Chief of Surgical Oncology, and Director of Surgical Research at Lincoln Hospital in New York City.

Dr. Pearlstone has worked in biomedical technology transfer since 2002, serving on the faculty of Clemson University College of Engineering in Clemson, SC, and the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. In 2010, Dr. Pearlstone received his MBA from the Leadership in Healthcare program at the Yale University School of Management.

Moderator:

Dr. Jenny Chen

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To Our Seven Loyal “The Lattice” Podcast Listeners

3DHEALS — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 02:32:28 +0000

3DHeals - Discover 3D Bioprinting and Healthcare Innovations

I can’t believe we’ve uploaded around 20 new episodes since our last “The Lattice” podcast email. Podcast is a medium I personally enjoy. Learning from podcasts while walking my dog feels like a win, especially if this cannot be found anywhere else on the internet, in books, or with ChatGTP. Below is a quick guide to the new uploads. You can also find all the show notes here. Tell us what you would like to listen to next.