Experiments conducted on animals indicate that ultrasound is able to penetrate thick tissues and print medical conductors inside the body.
The researchers made 3D conductors using concentrated ultrasound and biological ink that responds to ultrasound and is connected by injection or catheter.
A report published on Thursday in the Science patrol stated that carefully directed ultrasound stimulates local heating, just over the body temperature, which turns the ink into gel that can be “printed” in desired forms to perform functions such as delivery of medicines and replacing tissues.
Moreover, the researchers say ultrasound allows immediate monitoring and creating designed forms as needed. In one of the experiments, the researchers formed biological substances loaded with medications that brought a chemically medicine into cancerous cells in a bladder, and noticed the death of cancerous cells much more for several days, compared to the animals that received the drug by direct injection.
“We have already been proven in a small animal that can print water -loaded gels with drugs to treat tumors. Our next step is to try to print in a larger animal, and we hope that in the near future we can evaluate this in humans,” said the head of the study head of the California Institute of Technology.
A published comment with the research paper indicated the need for some improvements.
“Printing on the members that expand and contract, such as the lungs, heart and stomach, are additional challenges,” the commentators said.