Bioresorbable Implant 3D Printed by Materialise Enters Clinical Trial

The current pivotal clinical trial opened in January 2025 and will enroll at least 35 infants and children in the eight-year study at University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and additional study sites.

The original splint device was developed using Materialise Mimics software by Scott Hollister, Ph.D., former U-M Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Glenn Green, MD, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital Otolaryngologist and Clinical Professor. The first child received life-saving treatment in early 2012.

Since then, Mimics software played a crucial role in case planning and providing tracheobronchial splints to more than 40 pediatric patients via FDA Expanded Access (both Compassionate Use and Emergency Use) pathways. Materialise and U-M worked together to obtain an Investigative Device Exemption (IDE), held by U-M Pediatric Cardiovascular surgeon and lead investigator Dr. Richard Ohye, MD, which opens the door to a clinical trial and eventually regular use of the device if the device is approved for marketing by the FDA.

“In partnering with U-M on this life-saving clinical trial, children now have access to this ground-breaking device and procedure,” said Colleen Wivell, Director of Clinical Engineering at Materialise. “We’ve worked tirelessly with U-M to get this project off the ground. I’m so proud to say that we are helping address an unmet need using Materialise’s best-in-class innovations. It’s about saving lives, improving quality of life, and making ongoing care more reasonable and sustainable.”

The project’s challenges included further developing the device design, establishing the 3D printing and sterilization process, pre-clinical testing, safety and efficacy testing, obtaining appropriate regulatory approval to be able to open the trial, and establishing a clean room and good manufacturing practices. One of the team’s most significant achievements, according to Ms. Wivell, was to perform the pre-clinical testing that enabled the project to obtain the IDE.

The clinicians and engineers use the Mimics and 3-matic modules to translate anatomical data from CT or MRI for use in pre-surgical planning and preparation for 3D printing.

Materialise’s innovative method involves 3D printing polycaprolactone, a biodegradable material that is gradually absorbed into the body over years. The potential future implications of such material are significant.

“Using a laser sintering process, the devices are printed right here at a dedicated Materialise facility near the U-M hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan,” explained Colleen Wivell, Director of Clinical Engineering at Materialise. “This method provides a lot of design freedom. 3D printing for hard tissue such as bone is well known; however, the potential for this bioresorbable 3D-printed material to open doors for significant advancements in soft tissue applications is immense. Materialise is at the forefront of such innovation, and we look forward to scaling up and making our innovations count.”

“This project demonstrates Materialise’s commitment to transforming healthcare,” said Bryan Crutchfield, Vice President and General Manager, North America at Materialise. “Our corporate responsibility to 3D printing and planning as drivers for a more personalized approach means that clinicians can tailor treatment plans to each patient’s unique anatomy and thereby significantly impact patient care.”

Link to the Michigan Medicine and University of Michigan Health press release: https://www.michiganmedicine.org/news-release

About Materialise

Materialise incorporates more than three decades of 3D printing experience into a range of software solutions and 3D printing services that empower sustainable 3D printing applications. Our open, secure, and flexible end-to-end solutions enable industrial manufacturing and mass personalization in various industries — including healthcare, automotive, aerospace, eyewear, art and design, wearables, and consumer goods. Headquartered in Belgium and with branches worldwide, Materialise combines the largest group of software developers in the industry with one of the world's largest and most complete 3D printing facilities

About Michigan Medicine and University of Michigan Health 

At Michigan Medicine, we advance health to serve Michigan and the world. We pursue excellence every day in our 11 hospitals and hundreds of clinics statewide, as well as educate the next generation of physicians, health professionals and scientists in our U-M Medical School.  

Michigan Medicine includes U-M Medical School and University of Michigan Health, which includes C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital, University Hospital, the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan Health-West, University of Michigan Health-Sparrow and the Rogel Cancer Center. The U-M Medical School is one of the nation's biomedical research powerhouses, with total research awards of more than $777 million.  

More information is available at https://www.michiganmedicine.org/