Albert Folch‘s lab works at the interface between 3D-printing, microfluidics and cancer. He received both his BSc (1989) and PhD (1994) in Physics from the University of Barcelona (UB), Spain, in 1989. During his Ph.D. he was a visiting scientist from 1990–91 at the Lawrence Berkeley Lab working on AFM under Dr. Miquel Salmeron. From 1994–1996, he was a postdoc at MIT developing MEMS under Martin Schmidt (EECS) and Mark Wrighton (Chemistry). In 1997, he joined Mehmet Toner’s lab as a postdoc at Harvard-MGH to apply soft lithography to tissue engineering. He has been at Seattle’s UW BioE since June 2000, where he is now a full Professor, accumulating over 11,000 citations. In 20 years, he has supervised 18 postdocs (17% of whom have reached faculty rank), 12 Ph.D. students (25% faculty rank), 15 M.S. students, and >40 undergraduates. In 2001 he received an NSF Career Award, in 2006 a NASA Space Act Award, and in 2014 he was elected to the AIMBE College of Fellows (Class of 2015). He has served on the Advisory Board of Lab on a Chip between 2006-2017 and on the Editorial Board of Micromachines since 2019. He is the sole author of 5 books, including “Introduction to BioMEMS” (2012, Taylor&Francis), a textbook adopted by ~100 departments in 18 countries, and “Hidden in Plain Sight: The History, Science, and Engineering of Microfluidic Technology” (MIT Press, to appear in April 2022). Since 2007, the lab runs a celebrated outreach art program called BAIT (Bringing Art Into Technology), which has produced seven exhibits, a popular resource gallery of >2,000 free images related to microfluidics and microfabrication, and a YouTube channel that plays microfluidic videos with music which accumulates ~157,000 visits since 2009.

Professor will be speaking during our upcoming 3D Printing Microfabrication Event. 

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

Albert: A student showed me a brochure from Protolabs (Fineline Prototyping at that moment) that had a picture of a 3D-printed microfluidic device in it. I did not know that 3D-printers were capable of that resolution! It opened my eyes.

Jenny: What inspired you to start your journey in 3D printing (bio-fabrication/bio-printing)?

Albert: The convenience (digital design+automated fabrication) and low cost. As soon as we tried it, we never went back to molding!

Jenny: Who inspired you the most along this journey in 3D printing (bio-printing/bio-fabrication)?  

Albert: My student Anthony Au, who did very creative designs for microfluidics and literally changed the way we do microfluidics in the lab.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Albert Folch (@folch_lab_art)

Jenny: What motivates you the most for your work?

Albert: I like the feeling of learning new things every day and being on the edge of knowledge.

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

Albert: My lab has two sides, 3D printing (technology) development and cancer assays.

On the technology side, the biggest obstacle right now are the machines: the highest-resolution ones for microfluidics (Dilase3D, 5 micron resolution over a 10 cm x 10 cm area) are too expensive (~$200,000) to be widespread, although we have one here at UW, and can only print in one material at a time. We wish they were down to $10,000 and could print in several materials.

On the cancer side, given that we have learned that cancer is a disease that evolves differently in every individual, we need personalized treatments. We need assays that detect cancer early (for prevention) and treatments that stop cancer when it has spread (metastasis). Right now there are very few treatments for metastatic disease, so I think we should try new strategies because the old tenet that metastasis results from an accumulation of random mutations is not credible.

Jenny: 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)?

Albert: Materials and resolution.

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A post shared by Albert Folch (@folch_lab_art)

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

Albert: Infinite wisdom and absolute happiness – don’t need a third one!

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

Albert: Listen to their own drive! And likewise, do not listen to advice from older people who have lived different lives, live your own passion for learning and you will be the best at what you love to do, or at the very least you will be happy doing it.

Jenny: If you could have a giant billboard to promote a message to millions and even billions of people in our community (i.e. healthcare 3D printing and bio-fabrication), what message would that be?

Albert: The giant billboards exist (LinkedIn/Facebook/YouTube) but I can’t think of anything that would be of interest to so many people at a time unless we can announce that we have cured cancer or something equally important.

Jenny: What were/was the best investment you made in 3D printing/bio-printing/bio-fabrication?

Albert: A used Ilios printer I bought from a guy down in Portland and with which we started all our biocompatible resin work – great open-source printer!

Jenny: What were/was the worst investment you made in 3D printing/bio-printing/bio-fabrication?

Albert: I forgot 🙂

Jenny: What was/is the biggest risk you took in your career?

Albert: Leaving Barcelona, my hometown

Jenny: What do you enjoy in your spare time? What are you passionate about outside of your work/3d printing?

Albert: Soccer.

Photo credit: Folch Lab

Jenny: What is your favorite quote? Why?

Albert:  I have 3 quotes on top of my desk, and they all emphasize the same motto that there is more to Science than simply accumulating knowledge:

“Imagination is more important than knowledge” (Albert Einstein)

“Research is to see what everyone has seen and think what nobody has thought” (Albert Szent-György)

“There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why – I dream of things that never were, and ask: why not?” (Robert Kennedy)

Jenny: What does the word “3DHEALS” mean to you? =) 

Albert: “3D-Printing can help healthcare”

Related Articles:

3D BioPrinting Skin: Guide

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Microfluidics, Technology, Commercialization (On Demand)

3D Printing Has Come of Age But How Safe Are the Devices Going Into Our Mouth?

The post Prof. Albert Folch- Beautiful Microfluidics appeared first on 3DHeals.

3D printing for perioperative planning has been around since the birth of STL. However, the medical community has gone through many milestones, and this “From Academia” blog highlights three recent publications demonstrating how the surgical communities are reinventing old surgical techniques using new 3D technologies, racing from 3D printed soft anatomical models, new 3D software tools, finite element analysis, to artificial intelligence and cloud computing. The first article is a review focusing on different applications of 3D printing in breast cancer management, ranging from visualization help to surgical guides that may be more superior to conventional guidance to post-surgical radiation treatment guidance. The second article is a research paper focusing on creating streamlined workflow leveraging improved, more automated segmentation processes (for soft tissues) and soft material 3D printing technologies to create better neurosurgical planning by creating 3D printed patient-specific brain tumour models. The final paper describes the use of affordable 3D printing technology to produce ready-to-use, sterilizable auricular carving and framework sizing templates to guide the perioperative sculpture of the cartilaginous framework during microtia reconstruction, considered one of the most challenging procedures in the field of reconstruction surgery.

“From Academia” features recent, relevant, close to commercialization academic publications. Subjects include but not limited to healthcare 3D printing, 3D bioprinting, and related emerging technologies.

Email: Rance Tino ( info@3dheals.com ) if you want to share relevant academic publications with us.

Applications of 3D printing in breast cancer management

Authored by Arpine Galstyan, Michael J. Bunker, Fluvio Lobo, Robert Sims, James Inziello, Jack Stubbs, Rita Mukthar & Tatiana Kelil. 3D printing in Medicine. February 9 2021

Clinical application of patient-specific 3D printing brain tumor model production system for neurosurgery

Authored by Yun-Sik Dho, Doohee Lee, Teahyun Ha, So Young Ji, Kyung Min Kim, Ho Kang, Min-Sung Kim, Jin Wook Kim, Won-Sang Cho, Yong Hwy Kim, Young Gyu Kim, Sang Joon Park & Chul-Kee Park. Nature Scientific Reports. March 26 2021

Multiscale sterilizable 3D printed auricular templates to guide cartilaginous framework sizing and sculpture during autologous microtia reconstruction

Authored by Bushra Alhazmi, Feras Alshomer, Bassam Alawirdhi. JPRAS open. March 19 2021

Related Articles:

Medical 3D Printing for Surgery: Anatomical Models and Surgical Guides

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From Academia: 3D Printing for Neurosurgery Training, Vat Photopolymerization, soft robotic microsystem

From Academia: In Vivo & Robotic-assisted Minimally Invasive Bioprinting, 3DP for Liver Surgery

Smart Spine Surgery- From Planning to 3D Printed Templates

The Past and Present of 3D Printing in Maxillofacial Surgery

Other Expert Corner Blogs

Other From Academia Blogs

The post 3D Printing for Perioperative Planning of Breast Cancer, Brain Tumor, and Microtia appeared first on 3DHeals.

Want to write a piece for 3DHEALS Expert Corner? Email us: info@3dheals.com

Overview

The continuing evolution of 3D printing technologies has provided the ability to manufacture reproducible and sophisticated 3D printed biomedical phantom models that accurately recreate areas of human anatomy and mimic human tissue. These models are used by clinicians to enhance the surgical planning process such as allowing for more accurate dosimetry measurements that minimizes the impact of often invasive surgical procedures on the patient’s longer-term rehabilitation.

A number of 3D printed phantom solutions in conjunction with the UK’s National Health Service have been recently developed commercially.

In a recent project at 3D LifePrints, we developed and manufactured a patient-specific 3D printed liver for a patient with liver cancer who was about to undergo radiation treatment. There are multiple approaches available for treating patients with liver tumors, including ablation, embolization, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is one of the most effective methods but comes with its own risks and complexities. Accurate dosage measurements for radiation therapy is critical in providing effective treatment.

The normal procedure for pre-assessment and planning prior to the interventional procedure relies on the clinicians looking for a variety of patient image data scans. The subsequent procedure uses X-rays to provide the targeted radiation dose for the area of interest. There are currently few options for planning other than CT/MRI scans shown on a 2D screen. The 3D printed phantoms manufactured allowed the surgeons to better understand the patient’s anatomy and by using the measured dosage and known cavity volume for the patient, the surrounding exposure on the liver could be estimated.

From 3D medical segmentation to 3D printing

In this particular case, patient-specific image data from an MRI scan was imported into medical modeling software to segment the anatomical region of interest, in this case, a realistic model of the liver. Following work on the image data, the software was used to generate a model of the liver with high accuracy for 3D printing using a Polyjet 3D Printer. The stacked image DICOM data was imported directly into the specialized medical segmentation software and aligned appropriately in the axial and planar directions. Using the integrated thresholding tools, a general 3D render could be produced and visualized. Further refinement could then be achieved with the ‘paint with threshold’ and automatic global mask optimization tools. The 3D mesh created from the segmentation process could then be exported into the 3D printer slicing software for pre-print-processing. The 3D model contained three chambers suitable for holding radioisotope samples, with the chambers varying in size (4mm, 11m, and 40mm diameters) to mimic different-sized tumors. The 3D-printed phantom was then scanned (Phillips PET/CT) in the correct anatomical orientation and used as part of a surgical plan. By using the measured dosage and known cavity volume for the patient, the surrounding exposure on the liver could be estimated.

Conclusion

There are over 6,000 new liver cancer cases every year in the UK and the 5-year relative survival rate for localized stage conditions is ~31%. Liver cells are very sensitive to radiation. Highly targeted and planned interventions are required to limit adverse long term side effects on the patients liver while maximizing the impact of the procedure. 3D medical modeling and 3D printing capabilities can be used to create patient-specific 3D models. The identification of the boundaries separating the liver and the tumor is particularly important, in this case, for identifying a more accurate and case-specific radiation dosage than with traditional 2D visualization of CT or MRI scans. A 3D model helps the clinician understand the irregularities of a tumor before a treatment pathway is decided, reducing the risk of radiation exposure to surrounding tissues, as well as reduced damage to kidneys. Having the 3D model also means that clinicians have a better sense of the shape and size of the tumor, giving them more confidence in treatment planning.

About the author:

Paul Fotheringham is the founder of 3D LifePrints (3DLP) and is an experienced Technologist, Entrepreneur, and 3D printing expert who focuses on the medical sector. He holds a joint Batchelor of Science degree in Computer & Management Science from the University of Edinburgh. After graduating, he worked in over 10 countries including the US, UK, HK, Japan, and South Korea as an Enterprise Architect for organizations such as the London Stock Exchange, British Petroleum, Accenture and Macquarie Group. In 2012 he took up a post as Chief Technology Officer for a global Micro-finance organization in Kenya where he subsequently started 3DLP initially as a Social Enterprise in order to provide sustainable, affordable and suitable 3D printed prosthetics for developing world amputees. He currently overseas 3DLP’s European operations from Barcelona that provide a variety of innovative medical 3D printing products and services to medical institutions.

Related Articles:

3D Printing Orthopedic Solutions — Where are we? An Update.

The Augmented Mind: How VR/AR will empower 3D Printing technology in bettering the real world.

3D Bioprinting Personalized Brain Tissues

Segmentation: The Real Struggles Behind Converting DICOM to Patient-specific 3D Printable Models

The post 3D Printing for Cancer Treatment – Radiation Therapy Liver Phantom appeared first on 3DHeals.

Victor Portes is Executive Director of A&E Innovation & Design B.V. and Director & Chief Creative Officer of Silou Elle:tm: (3D Printed) Customized Bra Inlay & Bra Fit Solutions. He has over 20 years of combined experience in the areas of 3D printing, experience design, branded environments & event design, in-store retail communication, strategy and concept development, product development, publishing, art direction and education. Currently he lives in Amsterdam, but his career has taken him to cities all over the world, including New York, Santo Domingo, Barcelona, Dusseldorf and Munich.

3DHEALS innovator story series feature interviews of a group of innovators in the healthcare 3D printing industry.

Q: What inspired you the idea behind Silou Elle™

A: Let me start with a quote by L’Wren Scott,

“Enhancing a woman’s silhouette and enhancing a woman’s beauty — both contribute to enhancing her confidence, so they’re synonymous, really.”

What this said, my family has been hit very hard by breast cancer. In the past ten years, I lost four family members. In addition to this, I have a sister and a niece who are survivors. I also have to add that, on the day we officially started with this project, my wife Mirjam was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was very lucky to have Marianna Duckker (one of our co-founders) there to support me. Marianna is the owner of Marilinge, the leading specialist in Amsterdam for breast prostheses, custom lingerie, swim-wear, and underwear, who happens to be is a breast cancer survivor herself. Mirjam had surgery, double lumpectomy, radiation, and chemotherapy. It is safe to say that she is now cancer free for 17 months and back to work as Corporate Secretary of the Amsterdam Central Library (OBA), tough girl!

From an innovation perspective, I guess I was at the right place at the right time, with access to the to good knowledge e.g. 3D printing. Through my network, I had come across some material developments that help me connect the dots. From that moment on, I was confident that customized breast prosthesis and bra inlays and bra fit solutions will become a reality available for women worldwide.

Q: What were the initial challenges?

A: Our initial challenge was to find a way to make our vision, product ideas and business model tangible in such a way that all stakeholders clearly understood the impact that our innovation will bring to the world. Another crucial part was getting the right people on board to develop the business model and carry out the vision.

3D Printed breast prosthetics for breast cancer survivors

Q: What are the current challenges?

A: There are many challenges, including funding, continuously leveraging our resources within various networks (ranging from the scientific and healthcare communities, the policy makers, the support groups, the 3d printing, and fashion systems). The biggest challenge is having patience while managing momentum at the same time. This is especially important when you are considered crazy enough to try and transform an entire (global) industry. Although we are at the early stages of prototyping our product, our new approach to product innovation, business development, and strategic use of our networks in the past few months has put the wind in our sails. So expect to hear some exciting news from Silou Elle™ before the end of this year!

Q: What is your vision for Silou Elle?

A: In 3 years, a working solution everywhere in the US and Europe. In 5 years, world wide.

Q: Who founded Siluo Elle?

A: Inspired by our individual’s experiences with Breast Cancer, the team members concluded two years ago that the existing solutions for women having had breast surgery were the result of high technical skills, done in the best possible way but not “custom made.” This unique and international combination of talent is determined to come up, with the best, next generation of the external breast prosthesis, custom made and designed with understanding.

Silou Elle™ Team:

Victor Luis Portes Founder-Director & Chief Creative Officer; Frans Blanchard Director Business, Communication & Legal Advice ; Marianna Dukker is Mastectomy Lingerie Product Development & Healthcare Expert; Donato DiBiase. Biomdical, Business Management, Product Development & Technology Strategist ; Arnold Perizonius Lingerie Business, Product Development & Manufacturing Advisor.

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