What would you print? 3-D Printing at the Sheikh Zayed Institute

The Sheikh Zayed Institute at Children’s National is pursuing an innovative approach in pediatric surgery that uses patient-specific 3-D printed organ models to improve surgical preparation and outcomes. The 3-D models allow surgeons to see specific defects and practice difficult procedures before they have to operate. We are also researching biocompatible and biodegradable 3-D structures that could be implanted in patients and on which a patient’s own cells could grow, providing a more precise and more natural solution for certain health complications.