Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing in Clinical Practice
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Nottingham
Department Name: Faculty of Engineering
Abstract
This Discipline Hopping Award will enable Dr Ruth Goodridge to spend 24 months (0.5%FTE) working in a clinical environment at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust. She will primarily be based in the Clinical Engineering Department at Queens Medical Centre (QMC), working alongside Prof. Dan Clark, but will also spend time in other departments (e.g. maxillofacial, cardiology) at QMC and Nottingham City Hospitals, and undertake an external placement at the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The overall aim of her discipline hop will be to identify clinical needs where devices fabricated by Additive Manufacturing & 3D-Printing (AM&3DP) could offer significant advantages and to accelerate the implementation of devices made from AM&3DP into these areas.
Planned Impact
This discipline hop will have immediate, significant impact to the PI (who will benefit from first hand knowledge of the routes to and challenges of introducing new technologies into clinical practice), clinicians at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (who will gain greater knowledge of AM&3DP technologies and its possibilities in their field) and MHRA (who will gain AM&3DP expert input into their technology guidelines, allowing them to provide better advice and more appropriate regulations for the use of AM&3DP for medical devices).
Establishing a quicker, safer and better defined route for Additive Manufacturing and 3D-Printing (AM&3DP) devices into clinical practice will have significant benefits for researchers, industry, clinical providers and patients. Companies that specialise in medical devices will have more established guidelines for manufacturing products by AM&3DP, minimising risk in the implementation of these technologies, and potentially being able to offer improved healthcare devices at lower cost. Companies that specialise in AM&3DP systems, design and materials will in turn benefit from greater uptake of their products in the Healthcare Industry. Material developers will be able to manufacture improved materials that are optimised for these processes whilst still meeting regulatory guidelines. The Centres for Additive Manufacturing and Healthcare Engineering at Nottingham have a diverse portfolio of current industrial partners who will be able to take forward and benefit from any developments that come out of this discipline hop. Clinicians, who often take final responsibility for bespoke external devices, will have better guidelines and greater confidence in selecting manufacturing processes and materials, and will have access to wider/more effective treatment options. Patients/users will ultimately have access to more appropriate devices that have been developed through faster, more appropriate and more cost-effective implementation of new technology, resulting in improved quality of life. All groups will benefit from the closer working together of the various stakeholders.
Establishing a quicker, safer and better defined route for Additive Manufacturing and 3D-Printing (AM&3DP) devices into clinical practice will have significant benefits for researchers, industry, clinical providers and patients. Companies that specialise in medical devices will have more established guidelines for manufacturing products by AM&3DP, minimising risk in the implementation of these technologies, and potentially being able to offer improved healthcare devices at lower cost. Companies that specialise in AM&3DP systems, design and materials will in turn benefit from greater uptake of their products in the Healthcare Industry. Material developers will be able to manufacture improved materials that are optimised for these processes whilst still meeting regulatory guidelines. The Centres for Additive Manufacturing and Healthcare Engineering at Nottingham have a diverse portfolio of current industrial partners who will be able to take forward and benefit from any developments that come out of this discipline hop. Clinicians, who often take final responsibility for bespoke external devices, will have better guidelines and greater confidence in selecting manufacturing processes and materials, and will have access to wider/more effective treatment options. Patients/users will ultimately have access to more appropriate devices that have been developed through faster, more appropriate and more cost-effective implementation of new technology, resulting in improved quality of life. All groups will benefit from the closer working together of the various stakeholders.
Description | This grant has highlighted the challenges and opportunities for using Additive Manufacturing (3D-Printing) in clinical practice. Within NUH NHS Trust, Additive Manufacturing (AM) is used regularly by the maxillofacial, audiology and orthotics departments. Maxillofacial and audiology have their own AM machines and trained staff so they can produce devices in house; orthotics currently out-source AM parts. As part of this grant, a new central AM facility has been set-up within NUH NHS Trust Clinical Engineering department to support multiple departments and provide a link between research and clinical practice. In particular, this new clinical facility is linked to the Centre for Additive Manufacturing (CfAM) at the University of Nottingham |
Exploitation Route | Findings from this grant are useful for others setting up academic-clinical partnerships, particularly for in-house Additive Manufacturing (AM). It has increased awareness of the capabilities and limitations of AM within various clinical departments; it is envisaged that in due course this will lead to new projects and funding proposals by academics and healthcare professionals. It has raised awareness of the requirement for complete pathways to be considered in AM research, not just the manufacturing process. |
Sectors | Education,Healthcare |
Description | This grant has enabled a new service to be set-up at NUH NHS Trust. |
First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
Sector | Healthcare |
Impact Types | Societal |
Description | Next Generation Rehabilitation Technologies |
Amount | £831,040 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/W000679/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2022 |
End | 08/2025 |
Description | NIV Masks |
Organisation | Sheffield Children's Hospital |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Hospitals |
PI Contribution | Expertise on Additive Manufacturing materials for Healthcare applications. |
Collaborator Contribution | Expertise on the Healthcare need and device design. |
Impact | Collaborative research project involving engineering, computer science and clinical departments. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | 3D Medical Printing Event |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Talk given at a regional (East Anglia) medical 3D-printing event about outcomes of this grant, organised by UEA. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Medilink Midlands Special Interest Group in 3D-Printing in Healthcare. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | I led a Medilink MIdlands Special Interest Group in 3D-Printing for Healthcare - participants include industry, healthcare professionals, academics, researchers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
Description | School Visit (Nottingham) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Talk in school assembly. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |