Overview
- Prototype capsule, called MEDS, deposited bio-ink to repair artificial gastric ulcers and sealed a simulated hemorrhage in lab tests.
- In in-vivo rabbit studies, researchers guided the device with external magnets under fluoroscopy to lay bio-ink in the stomach and then retrieved it orally.
- The pill-sized tool has no onboard electronics, using a spring-plunger triggered by near-infrared light and magnetic steering from a robotic arm for precise tissue contact.
- The team modeled tissue interaction to achieve controlled stick–slip motion along the GI wall, enabling predictable navigation for in-situ bioprinting.
- The cell-laden alginate bio-ink (with human gastric fibroblasts) maintained structure for over 16 days in controlled experiments, and the researchers plan stronger magnets, Halbach arrays, algorithmic path planning, sensor feedback, and new inks before pursuing therapeutic studies and eventual human trials.