A Pill That Prints-An Ingestible Bioprinter for Non-Invasive Structured Bioink Deposition

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Endoluminal tissue repair faces challenges with current minimally invasive techniques.
• Tethered or electronically complex devices limit accessibility and safety within the gastrointestinal tract.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a tetherless, ingestible bioprinter for controlled bioink deposition in endoluminal applications.
• To establish engineering principles for non-invasive, untethered endoluminal bioprinting.

Main Methods:

• Development of a microscale ingestible bioprinter guided by external magnetic actuation and near-infrared triggering.
• Modeling and optimization of magnetic forces and tissue interface dynamics for navigation and patterning.
• Ex vivo and in vivo (rabbit model) studies demonstrating device deployment, positioning, and bioink extrusion under fluoroscopic guidance.

Main Results:

• Successful demonstration of a tetherless, ingestible bioprinter operating without onboard electronics.
• Precise bioink deposition and patterning for ulcer coverage and hemorrhage sealing in ex vivo models.
• Technical feasibility of untethered endoluminal navigation and controlled extrusion shown in vivo.

Conclusions:

• This work presents a foundational system for ingestible, untethered endoluminal bioprinting.
• The developed technology offers a novel approach for non-invasive gastrointestinal tissue repair.
• Core engineering principles are established for future advancements in this field.