Thursday, February 14, 2019
3d.FAB (Fabric of Advanced Biology): bioprinting has its place of excellence
The meeting with its director was held at the heart of LyonTech-la Doua on the Axel One site, a campus that forms the upstream part of the research-industry-SME network. The place looks minimalist: a glass and concrete cube soberly marked "Axel One". We understand that the intention of the site's creators is not ostentatious. Very nice idea. Because behind the apparent simplicity of the place are hidden treasures of creativity, research and high-level skills.
Enter and you will understand all the intentions.
Meeting with Christophe MARQUETTE, a researcher who finds, discovers and shares.
Director of Research CNRS, attached to the University Lyon 1, Director of the platform 3d.FAB.
With Christophe MARQUETTE we discover :
A building that skillfully combines industry and research.
A sober place but in fact.... discreetly sophisticated because it is modular to adapt to the collaborative research of multidisciplinary teams
Its team is indeed plural: chemists, biochemists, rheologists, polymer specialists, mechanics... and above all "inventive" people who combine their talents to search and find together.
The equipment reflects the diversity and complexity of the subjects dealt with, and most of it is designed and manufactured on a "custom" basis, as the standard range of equipment does not adapt well to the specific requirements of the platform.
Research, of course... but on what subjects and with whom?
For Christophe MARQUETTE, 3D printing makes it possible to understand biological phenomena and physiological activity issues by shaping the materials used so that their appearance and shape are as close as possible to physiological forms. It also makes it possible to consider bioactive systems that were previously inaccessible because they were too complex to manufacture using molding or assembly techniques.
The first orientation of the applications are those of health with an emphasis on regenerative medicine and an axis dedicated to in vitro models. Implantable medical devices are also a priority, with projects on silicone printing in particular.
The second is the field of technical polymers and the study of processes allowing their implementation.
Finally, another part of the activities is dedicated to the field of luxury goods but, to date, remains confidential.
In concrete terms, the areas covered by this platform reflect the level of excellence of the teams working on an impressive range of subjects:
- 3D printing by holography
- In vivo 3D printing on burn victims (preclinical phase)
- 3D printing of implantable silicone for the manufacture of custom tracheal implants (preclinical phase)
- 3D printing of patient-specific tumors for personalized medicine, including drug testing on physiological-sized tumors with complex composition
- 3D printing of ultra-fluid materials in constrained environments
- 4D printing of active materials in interaction with living organisms
- Ultra high resolution 3D/4D printing for drug delivery
- And... additive printing of "soft materials" (complex waxes)
In view of the broad spectrum of themes mastered by 3d.FAB, the platform welcomes projects from all horizons, public and private, between academics, for start-ups, for large groups. Its partners are indeed diverse in nature, ranging from hospitals (HCL) to the Atomic Energy Center (CEA), the General Directorate of Armaments, as well as the cosmetics, chemical and aeronautics industries...
It is not excluded that during the 3D PRINT show (Lyon, June 4.5.6), you will be surprised to discover new perspectives. These combined talents should indeed be found on the stand of TOBECA, a machine builder also... out of the ordinary.
Editor : Anne de LANSALUT