This article was taken from the February 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Silicone implants are a 35-year-old technology -- they need to be periodically checked and replaced. A group of Italian researchers offers an alternative: natural tissue reconstruction using synthetic, degradable structures, which require fewer surgical interventions -- making the process cheaper and less risky. It's the idea at the heart of Tensive, a spin-off from the Fondazione Filarete (a Milanese biotech-business incubator), which won first place in the biomedical category and $10,000 (£6,000) at the latest Intel Global Challenge in California.
The 3D-printed scaffolding, which replicates the architecture of blood vessels for the implants, also repairs bones damaged by osteoporosis as well as parts of the body affected by trauma or tumour removal. Alessandro Tocchio, Federico Martello, Irini Gerges and Margherita Tamplenizza founded the startup in 2012. "It's difficult to establish credibility as young entrepreneurs in the medical sector," says project manager Federica Destro. Still, the team has already conducted in vivo tests and will begin preclinical trials this autumn.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
