Additive Manufacturing of Biomimetic Self-Healing Composite Tissues

The DOD has a need for surgery and procedural training models, which have a high degree of realism and functionality with synthetic skin, muscle, vessels, adipose, and connective tissue. The 3D printing of synthetic tissues enables such models to be fabricated customized to particular situations (i.e. unique anatomy, bone fracture, or condition) and with lower cost than conventional methods. Incorporation of self-healing functionality is expected to enhance simulations of fluid resuscitation whether due to puncturing (blood draw, catheter insertion), cutting (such as cricothyroidotomy incisions), or removal of organs. Autonomous healing with high repeatability and low toxicity will provide significant functionality to synthetic tissues fabricated with 3D printing methods. This technology is expected to have a high military impact due to the improvement in medical training education and readiness, lower cost combat medic training, and reduced liability. The technology is expected to have a high clinical impact due to its ability to provide lifelike bleeding response and significantly extend the usable life of trainers over repeated usage, and which will lower cost physical trainers in repeated training exercises for medical training.