JOIN USBoost for implant tech: Startup’s 3D printer gets IISc nod
Personalised soft tissue implants, including for breasts, could gain ground with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc)’s endorsement of a 3D printer for implant-grade silicone developed by Bengaluru-based startup Prayasta.
The specialised printer, Silimac — housed at the Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering at the IISc — generates 3D-printed implants that could be personalised for shape, size, contour, weight and touch, the startup said on Wednesday.
Prayasta, co-founded by Vikas Garg and Shilpi Sen in 2017, has adopted 3D printing because conventional printers cannot handle implant-ready silicone. The startup said its design methodology made breast implants rupture-proof, suturable, and ruled out leakage and other complications.
“With the implants, we are looking at two to three years for commercialisation of the technology. For other applications, including prostheses, it will take less than a year,” Garg told DH. The technology has potential applications in nasal, tracheobronchial, oesophageal, ear, lip and chin implants.
Garg made the argument for personalised implants by underlining three concerns associated with conventional methods — post-implant asymmetry between body parts, mismatch between the patient’s anatomy and the available solution, and the ineffectiveness of standard solutions for children.
Kaushik Chatterjee, associate professor, Department of Materials Engineering, IISc, said the indigenously developed technology was significant to India where high-end implants are being extensively imported and affordability remains a concern. The IISc’s upcoming medical school also offers context to the partnership in terms of the printer’s possibilities with other materials.
The partnership is aimed at fast-tracked testing of 3D printability of novel materials and marketability of the technology. Chatterjee said the availability of the platform on campus meant access for students to a high-end technology and an opportunity for the institution to work on a project that has an immediate impact on the society.
“Right now, we are talking about breast implants. Tomorrow, this could be about a car sensor or an aerospace application,” he said.
The technology is in the animal-studies phase and the request for regulatory approvals will coincide with the clinical trials. The startup has obtained patents in India and the US for its technology in manufacturing prostheses.