FIU biomedical engineer Anamika Prasad has developed a 3D printing bioreactor called the EnduroBone that supports long-term survivability of bone tissue samples grown outside the body. The device has cylinder-shaped hollows that mimic the environment needed by bone tissue. Samples can survive in the device for up to 28 days, a boon for scientists studying cellular changes in the search for new therapeutics.
The device may also help advance bone engineering research — including bone reconstruction to replace chunks of bone lost to cancer, infections, or injury — as well as cartilage research and growing new cartilage tissue. Prasad plans to use this device as part of an ongoing bone reconstruction project in which a team will design personalized 3D implants for children with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.
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