Scientists from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have developed a first-of-its-kind ingestible bioprinter capable of navigating the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and depositing bio-ink directly onto ulcers or hemorrhages. The new device, which is roughly the size of a drug capsule, is called the Magnetic Endoluminal Deposition System (MEDS) and functions like a tiny ballpoint pen, dispensing a biogel through a spring-loaded plunger onto the tissue needing repair. Details of this new technology are published in the journal Science Advances .

“By combining the principles of in situ bioprinters with the drug release concepts of smart capsules, we can envision a new class of device: a pill-sized, swallowable bioprinter,” said senior author Vivek Subramanian, PhD, of EPFL’s

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