MISiS: Fabric gun Manual autonomous complex of two-component 3D bioprinting for the treatment of wound surfaces

The main articles are:

• Wound healing
• 3D printing in medicine
• Polymers in medicine

2023

"Cloth Gun" version 2.0

MISIS University together with FGBU "GWKG named after N. N. Burdenko" of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, LLC "Koleteks" and the company "3d Bioprinting Solutions" presented the "Fabric Pistol" version 2.0 - an autonomous manual device for simultaneous processing, treatment and closure of wounds. It can be used both at the stages of medical evacuation, starting with the 2nd level of medical care for the wounded, and in civilian conditions. This was announced on August 22, 2023 by representatives of MISIS University.

Cloth gun

As reported, when using a "fabric gun," the closing speed of the wound surface with an area of ​ ​ 10 cm2 is 2 seconds. The weight of the device is 350 grams. The simultaneous use of various combinations of therapeutic components and the closure of the wound surface was made possible by the introduction of a patented technology for the application of registered and commercially produced specialized gel compositions. Their composition is different and can include hemostatic, analgesic, antiseptic, antibacterial, antioxidant and wound healing drugs. The choice of composition depends on the state of the wound.

The use of the "Tissue Gun" optimizes the delivery of medical care, both during the evacuation stages of the wounded and as part of specialized surgical care and rehabilitation in the treatment of extensive wounds. The pilot platform for the developed innovative complex will be the FSBI "GWKG named after N. N. Burdenko" of the Ministry of Defense of Russia.

The "fabric pistol" version 2.0 is a modified version of the device presented in April 2023. Specialists of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Main Military Clinical Hospital named after Academician N.N. Burdenko" of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, together with scientists from MISIS University, significantly changed the ergonomics for the tasks of medical personnel working at various stages of medical evacuation of the wounded, primarily in the field.

The weight reduced to 350 grams (in the original version - 800 grams) allows you to work with a "pistol" with one hand. The second hand remains free for additional manipulation. The presented version of the device will allow the average medical staff and surgeons to put wound treatment on stream before the victims are sent to the next phase of health care delivery.

Cloth gun

Thanks to the improved engineering part, optimized gel supply system with crosslinking agent spraying, the wound closure rate increased by more than 4 times. An important feature of this version of the device is the possibility of using already existing, registered medical devices on a gel basis with various drugs, depending on the medical need. Researchers of NITU MISIS, together with experts from Koletex LLC, have selected such a consistency for gel compositions that ensures maximum effectiveness of their use. The design allows ultrasonic (aerosol) crosslinking in the lesion, which is absent from similar devices, and use 20-25 ml syringes (up to 10 ml from foreign manufacturers). According to the doctors of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "GWKG named after N. N. Burdenko" of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, the device performs functions of a mobile dressing station, but without bandages and bandages.

Presentation of the first autonomous complex crosslinking wounds with biopolymers

The University of MISiS presented the first "tissue pistol" in Russia, which can stop bleeding and trigger regenerative processes in light and moderate injuries. This was announced on April 5, 2023 to Zdrav.Expert by representatives of NUST MISIS. The device created in the REC of Biomedical Engineering NUST MISiS is designed for operation in military field conditions and in the emergency zone.

The first "tissue pistol" in Russia to sew wounds with biopolymers
Photo: NUST MISIS

As the scientists explained, the barrier effect on the damaged skin is created by a parallel two-component high-precision supply of painkillers, hemostatic, antibacterial and other substances to the wound. In crosslinking, the bioactive material creates a film on the wound, preventing the bacterial infection from entering and creating favorable conditions for its accelerated healing. For the prevention of bacterial infection and pain relief, it is possible to use materials with the addition of drugs (antibiotics, anesthetics).

According to the author of the development, Timur Aidemir, Ph.D., engineer at the NUST MISIS Biomedical Engineering Research Center, unlike existing world analogues, the developed device is completely autonomous and powered by built-in batteries that can be charged via a USB port.

"Before work, two standard 20 ml syringes are filled with biopolymers and medical products. A third syringe is connected through a special port and the device is filled with a stitching agent, then the filling syringe is turned off. When the trigger is pulled, the ultrasonic system simultaneously collects all components in the printing area, thereby forming a polymer crosslinked biomaterial capable of stopping bleeding and accelerating tissue regeneration, "added Timur Aydemir.

The case and parts are printed in NITU MISiS using FDM (from the English. Fused Deposition Modeling - printing by layering, approx. Zdrav.Expert) and SLA (from the English. Laser Stereolithography Apparatus - laser stereolithography, approx. Zdrav.Expert) 3D printing technologies. The cost of the manufactured sample is 40 thousand rubles. According to the creators of the device, when launched into industrial production, it will no longer be 3D printing, but plastic casting, which will make it even cheaper. If necessary, a 3D printer can be used to print parts of a "pistol" in a war zone.

"Mobile hospitals deployed in the emergency or combat zone need an autonomous manual device that in difficult conditions will stop bleeding and speed up the regeneration of living tissue," explains co-author Fyodor Senatov, Ph.D., Ph.D., director of the NUST MISiS Biomedical Engineering Research Center. "Currently existing devices with a similar principle of operation are large and complex for such conditions."

"Fabric pistol" allows you to quickly provide first aid to people in an emergency
Photo: NUST MISIS

As specified in NITU MISIS, the full name of the patented device is a manual autonomous complex of two-component 3D bioprinting with an ultrasonic polymerization system for the treatment of wound surfaces. Extensive capabilities for manual electromechanical control of the supply of materials allow you to accurately adjust the ratios of components and change it in real time. The system supports syringes with biomaterials of 2 times the volume of world counterparts (up to 22 ml), which increases the autonomy of the device. In addition, in the developed device, a complex system for transporting material to the printing area (for example, a microfluidic chip or a high-voltage converter for producing fibers) has been replaced by a simpler and more functional one, where for the first time in printing, an ultrasonic membrane design with an auto-feed system of a crosslinking agent is used, which allows for the creation of a focused spray of crosslinking agent in the printing area.

"A consortium created on the basis of the BioIng REC, which includes leading universities, research centers, innovative enterprises and startups, sets itself an ambitious goal - to form a national branch of biomedical materials," said Alevtina Chernikova, rector of NUST MISIS. - The center's scientists are working on a line of intervertebral cages for spinal surgery, neuroprostheses for the treatment of damaged nervous tissue, etc. Research is carried out, among other things, within the framework of the Advanced Engineering School "Materials Science, Additive and End-to-End Technologies" NUST MISIS. "

Scientists have already conducted a series of studies of invivo on the basis of the N.N. Blokhin. The results showed that with the use of a two-component hydrogel, faster healing of the burn wound was observed in experiments in laboratory mice. As of the beginning of April 2023, tissue is being studied after healing.