3d systems 3d printer

It’s funny how some of our high-tech tools and techniques borrow names from the past–just look at the tablet and bluetooth.

Turns out that isn’t the only flash from the past finding newfound relevance today. Staff at the Houston Methodist Research Institute (HMRI) looked towards the ancient Chinese woodblock printing technique in order to develop a new form of bioprinting called Block-Cell-Printing (or BloC for short). The team use a silicon mold to press cells onto a surface, much in the way that ancient printers pressed an inked image or text onto paper.

According to the HMRI team, the BloC method shows as much as a 100% better rate of cellular survivability over other methods of bio-printing. Even more shocking: HMRI projects that the cost of printing will be as little as 1/10,000th that of other methods.

News Source: Engineering.com
Image Source: Ancient Chinese printing press – China Science and Technology Museum | Flickr – Photo Sharing! IvanWalsh.com | Attribution 2.0 Generic / CC BY 2.0

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *