A new ultrasound-guided 3D printing technique could make it possible to fabricate medical implants in vivo and deliver tailored therapies to tissues deep inside the body – all without invasive surgery, researchers report. 3D bioprinting technologies offer significant promise to modern medicine by enabling the creation of customized implants, intricate medical devices, and engineered tissues tailored to individual patients. However, most current approaches require invasive surgical implantation. Although in vivo bioprinting – “3D printing” tissue directly within the body – offers a less invasive alternative, it has been limited by challenges like poor tissue penetration depth, a narrow range of biocompatible bioinks, and the need for printing systems that operate at high resolution with precise, real-time control. To address these barriers, Elham Davoodi and colleagues developed a novel imaging-guided platform called Imaging-Guided Deep Tissue In Vivo Sound Printing (DISP), which uses focused ultrasound and ultrasound-responsive bioinks to precisely fabricate biomaterials directly within the body. These bioinks, or US-inks, combine biopolymers, imaging contrast agents, and temperature-sensitive liposomes carrying crosslinking agents and can be delivered to targeted tissue sites deep within the body via injection or catheter. A focused ultrasound transducer, guided by automated positioning and a predefined digital blueprint, triggers localized low-temperature heating (slightly above body temperature) that releases the crosslinker, initiating immediate in situ gel formation. Moreover, the bioinks and their resulting gels can be tailored for various functions, including conductivity, localized drug delivery, and tissue adhesion, as well as real-time imaging capabilities. Davoodi et al. validated DISP by successfully printing drug-loaded and functional biomaterials near cancerous sites in a mouse bladder and deep within rabbit muscle tissue, demonstrating potential applications for drug delivery, tissue regeneration, and bioelectronics. Further biocompatibility tests revealed no signs of tissue damage or inflammation, and the body cleared unpolymerized US-ink within a week, illustrating the platform's safety. “Although Davoodi et al. advanced ultrasound 3D printing toward clinical translation, additional refinements are needed to implement the technology for clinical use,” writes Xiao Kuang in a related Perspective. “A detailed relationship between process conditions, the structure of the printed material, and the resulting properties must be elucidated through careful testing.”

GVN, UWI, and SUNY hosted experts in Jamaica to tackle virus surveillance, vaccines, and pandemic prep amid climate and global health threats.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have completed a comprehensive analysis of cancer statistics for different age groups in the United States and found that from 2010 through 2019, the incidence of 14 cancer types increased among people under age 50.

In a recent study, Kim and co-author Woodam Chung, PhD, a forest engineer at Oregon State University, were the first to objectively measure biomechanical stress experienced by professional timber fellers during actual timber felling operations. They also evaluated forest workers’ perceptions of wearable exoskeletons—emerging technology already being used in other physically demanding industries such as shipbuilding and automotive and aerospace manufacturing.

About The Study: Between February 28, 2025, and April 8, 2025, 694 National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants were terminated across 24 of the 26 institutes and centers (including the Office of the Director) that administered active NIH grants. Targeted grant terminations have affected more than $1.8 billion in NIH funding. Terminations were spread across nearly all NIH institutes and centers, although cuts disproportionately impacted the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (30% of all funding).