3-D printing a cure for blindness

‘‘If we can have a way we can make this for a world market, as cheaply as possible, that’s the dream.’’ Associate Professor Johan Potgieter

A Kiwi design that can fix human eyes with fish scales, using threedimensional printers, could provide a cure for blindness for millions.

A Massey University team has successfully made a printer that turns out new corneas – the clear front part of the eye – designed for human transplant.

Associate Professor Johan Potgieter leads the development team, and says the printer builds the corneas from collagen, one of the main structural proteins our skin is made from.

But the collagen will be sourced from the scales of hoki fish, which has been shown to be accepted by the human body.

‘‘Worldwide, 10 million people need cornea transplants. If you lose your cornea, you’d be blind, and the only way you can get one is a donor cornea.

‘‘If we can have a way we can make this for a world market, as cheaply as possible, that’s the dream. It should be extremely cheap, it’s a renewable resource, and the machines should be very affordable.’’

The team is now working out how to take its prototype design out of the lab, to use it for mass production, and has a grant of almost $1 million from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Options include selling the machines to clinics, or selling the corneas themselves, from New Zealand.

The fish scales are a waste product, and Potgieter said they had begun talks with iwi fisheries’ interests to find a partnership that will provide the raw material. ‘‘The whole idea is to stimulate and grow a new Ma¯ ori economy.’’

Three-dimensional printing of human tissue has been done by various teams around the world to create simple body structures, like bladders and skin. But this is the first time anyone has produced a cornea. ‘‘This is a very unique technology. There’s been attempts to grow cornea, but we’ll be able to mass produce them and make hundreds a day.’’

The printers were similar to domestic 3-D printers currently available, he said.

‘‘It’s like a Ferrari, compared to the Beetle, the principals are the same – you squish out material, whether it’s plastic or collagen.

‘‘You’ve got different levels of hygiene and control, but it’s the same basic processing.’’

It is hoped the mass production process could be ready for testing at the end of next year.