Page 241 - IJB-9-4

International Journal of Bioprinting

REVIEW ARTICLE
Applications of 3D printing in aging

Meng Ma , Jun Gu , Dong-An Wang , Siwei Bi , Ruiqi Liu , Xiaosheng Zhang *,
4
3
1,2
5
2
5
Jing Yang *, Yi Zhang *
2
1
1 School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Sichuan, China
2 School of Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and
Technology of China, Sichuan, China
3 Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, China
4 Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
5 Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, China
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: 3D Bioprinting: Recent Advances and Applications)
Abstract

Aging is inevitable, and how to age healthily is a key concern. Additive manufacturing
offers many solutions to this problem. In this paper, we first briefly introduce various
3D printing technologies commonly used in the biomedical field, particularly in aging
research and aging care. Next, we closely examine aging-related health conditions of
nervous system, musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular system, and digestive system
with a focus on the application of 3D printing in these fields, including the creation
of in vitro models and implants, production of drugs and drug delivery systems, and
fabrication of rehabilitation and assistive medical devices. Finally, the opportunities,
challenges, and prospects of 3D printing in the field of aging are discussed.
*Corresponding authors:
Xiaosheng Zhang
(zhangxs@uestc.edu.cn) Keywords: Aging; 3D-printing; Biomaterials; Disease model; Regenerative medicine,
Jing Yang Aging care
(yangjing1977@uestc.edu.cn)
Yi Zhang
(yi_zhang@uestc.edu.cn)
Citation: Ma M, Gu J, Wang D-A, 1. Introduction
et al., 2023, Applications of 3D
printing in aging. Int J Bioprint, On November 15, 2022, the United Nations announced that the world’s population had
9(4): 732. reached 8 billion and was expected to exceed 10 billion by the 2080s . The population
[1]
https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.732
growth is partly due to improved living standards and medical conditions, which leads
Received: January 06, 2023 to lower mortality rates and increased life expectancy. These huge numbers point to a
Accepted: March 06, 2023
Published Online: April 11, 2023 problem that needs to be taken seriously by all countries: superimposed on declining
fertility rates, the global population is rapidly aging as life expectancy increases. In the next
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s).
This is an Open Access article 30 years, the global elderly population is expected to more than double. According to the
distributed under the terms of the estimates by China’s National Health Commission, there will be more than 400 million
Creative Commons Attribution individuals aged over 60 around 2035, making up more than 30% of the population
License, permitting distribution, [2]
and reproduction in any medium, and entering a stage of significant aging . Aging is a process that human beings must
provided the original work is undergo, and the consequences of aging are a gradual and irreversible decline in the
properly cited. physiological functions of all organs, which is caused by the long-term accumulation
Publisher’s Note: Whioce of various damages [3,4] . Many problems brought about by aging have become the focus
Publishing remains neutral with of current and future research. First of all, the increase of aging will inevitably lead to
regard to jurisdictional claims in an increase in aging-related diseases. To date, biologists have agreed that potentially,
published maps and institutional
affiliations. there is an unrecognized but important link between aging and many chronic diseases

Volume 9 Issue 4 (2023) 233 https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.732