MISiS and 3D Bioprinting Solutions: a 3D bioprinter in the form of a roborook for use in the operating room in situ

The main articles are:

• Organ cultivation (Bioprinting, bioprinting)
• Robots in medicine
• Robots surgeons

2025: 3D Bioprinter Launch

The domestic in situ bioprinter is now available for order on the service for the search and selection of scientific equipment "Our Laba." This was announced on February 3, 2025 to the Zdrav.Expert portal by representatives of the University of Science and Technology MISIS. With the help of the device, the world's first bioprinting operation on a person has already been carried out.

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Фото: NITU MISIS

The complex was created within the framework of the national project "New Health Saving Technologies" together with pioneers in the field of bioprinting - the company "3D Bioprinting Solutions." The robotic system is Russian, from the Robopro company. Undergraduates of the advanced engineering school MISIS "Materials Science, Additive and End-to-End Technologies" also took part in the development of the bioprinter. The equipment is created at the pilot production of medical devices of the university with the implemented GOST ISO 13485-2017.

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Фото: NITU MISIS

The complex is designed to repair tissues and organs directly in the wound. The device scans the defect, creates a three-dimensional map of it. Bioprinting is carried out along a given trajectory, on average, in 5 minutes. Also, the device adapts to the patient's breath and different types of hydrogels are compatible with it. In addition to research in tissue engineering, the in situ bioprinter is suitable for other industries and can act as a "classic" 3D printer.

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Фото: NITU MISIS

Nasha Laba, a service for the search and selection of scientific equipment and consumables produced in Russia and Belarus, was created in July 2022 by the Coordination Council for Youth Affairs in the Scientific and Educational Spheres of the Presidential Council for Science and Education.

2023: 3D bioprinter animal tests at the P.A. Herzen MNII

Modified by scientists MISIS University bioprinter in a form robohands that can print live cells directly on a patient in the operating room, has successfully passed animal tests in a preclinical laboratory MNII named after P.A. Herzen and is ready for further stages of research. This was Zdrav.Expert announced on September 22, 2023 by representatives of MISIS. This technology of bioprinting in situ, i.e. directly into a defect, in the future may become a progressive therapeutic method, ulcers and burn treatment extensive soft tissue injuries.

A bioprinter for printing with live cells was tested in Russia right in the operating room

The software and hardware complex of the bioprinter, developed by the bioengineers NUST MISIS and 3D Bioprinting solutions, scans the defect, creates a three-dimensional model of it, and then fills the site with a hydrogel composition with living cells.

Special software that synchronizes the movements of the roboruka and the supply of material was created by Alexander Levin, engineer of the REC of Biomedical Engineering at NUST MISIS. The trajectory generated by the program not only takes into account surface bends, but can vary in real time as the body moves while breathing. For this, a feedback system with a laser sensor is integrated into the end effector. The user interface with the ability to 3D display trajectories is written in Python using open libraries of Pyqt5 and OpenGL.

"The code is in the public domain, anyone can improve it. We act primarily in the interests of science and patients. The structure of the program is designed in such a way as to minimize the human factor, so not only a narrow specialist can cope with it, but also an operator with basic skills. We hope that with proper scaling and established serial production, the costs of manufacturing a bioprinter in situ will decrease, which will make it an affordable and clinically significant device, "said Alexander Levin.

Special software that synchronizes the movements of the roboruka and the supply of material was created by Alexander Levin, engineer of the REC of Biomedical Engineering at NUST MISIS (pictured)

As you know, there are still two main approaches to bioprinting technology: skin in vitro (into a petri dish) and in situ (directly into a defect). In the first case, the skin structure is printed in a laboratory on a flat surface under sterile conditions, and during post-treatment is placed in a specialized incubator for tissue maturation. In the case of in situ, skin bio-fabrication can be performed directly on the patient's body in the operating room without additional equipment.

"The main features compared to a standard 3D bioprinter in vitro: in situ bioprinting technology can be useful in treating skin defects on complex surfaces. The main advantage is that bioprinting can be carried out directly in the operating room, where there is not so much space and for bioprinting, additional expensive and complex equipment for culturing cell products is not required, since the body itself performs this function, "explained to Ph.D. Vladislav Lvov, engineer of the 1st category of the REC of Biomedical Engineering NUST MISIS.

Histological analysis conducted by specialists of the P.A. Herzen Moscow Cancer Research Institute 4 weeks after animal surgery showed that the original collagen hydrogel-based biochernils used (provided by the biotechnological company IMTEK), platelet lysate and dermal fibroblasts significantly improved wound healing processes.

According to the rector of NITU MISIS Alevtina Chernikova, scientists at MISIS University are already developing in situ a bioprinter based on domestic roboruki. Subsequent commercialization of the improved version of the device will increase the efficiency of reconstruction of extensive soft tissue defects.

As of September 2023, there are several dozen companies in the world producing commercial 3D bioprinters in vitro and even the first attempts are being made to develop an original custom bioprinter in situ under academic conditions, but there are no bioprinters commercially available in situ, MISIS noted. As far as developers know, this is the first description of a commercially available roboruca-based 3D bioprinter suitable for use in the in situ operating system.

The test results are published on The National Center for Biotechnology Information. ^[1]

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