A smart capsule that opens by itself and sticks like a plaster in the intestines to speed healing of ulcers. The device is one of the most promising results of research carried out at the Department of Information Engineering of the University of Pisa, where new applications of four-dimensional (4D) printing for future medicine are being studied.
4D printing is a technology that allows the creation of three-dimensional structures capable of changing over time under the influence of predetermined stimuli, such as hydration or temperature. Time thus effectively becomes the fourth dimension. In the case of the capsule, the researchers designed it a self-expanding 3D printed structure made from silk and gelatin, a biocompatible material that expands after being swallowed absorbing intestinal fluid turns the device from a small cylinder into a flat sheet capable of attaching to damaged tissue.
“In this way – explains Carmelo De Maria, professor of biotechnology at the University of Pisa – the capsule can cover a larger area of the bleeding intestinal mucosa and promote its regeneration. The final shape is obtained thanks to a specific spatial arrangement of the material, which allows the structure to react in a controlled way to the internal environment of the body. The capsule is also equipped with a small antenna, also 3D printed and biocompatible, which is able to signal its presence in the body once swallowed. Once the structure meets the ulcer and is revealed, and allows communication with the outside, until its degradation, otherwise it will expelled regularly.”
Capsules fit inside a a research line aimed at developing minimally invasive, self-repairing and programmable devicescapable of dynamically interacting with biological networks and opening new perspectives for personalized medicine.
“With 4D printing we can design objects that change shape and function over time, like living tissue – concludes De Maria – This is a revolution that combines materials engineering and life sciences”.
