A therapeutic solution to erectile dysfunction (ED) could soon be available, after groundbreaking advances in biomedical 3D printing by Chinese researchers.
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ED is surprisingly common: it affects more than 40 per cent of men aged 40 and above. Now, a team of researchers has used hydrogel-based bioinks to develop a 3D-printed penile implant system which anatomically replicates all functional components of natural erectile tissue.
During testing, all animal models (pigs and rabbits) exhibited restored erectile capacity post-implantation, with reproductive success rates surging from 25 per cent in controls to 100 per cent in the treatment group.
Details of the landmark study were published in Nature Biomedical Engineering on March 4.
“These findings indicate that the implants markedly improved functional recovery,” wrote lead author Wang Yingjun, who is an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of the National Engineering Research Centre for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction at the South China University of Technology.
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The penis has the most complex vascular network of all human organs. It comprises arteries, veins, the corpora cavernosa and the tunica albuginea. When the cavernous spaces within the penis fill with blood, it results in an erection.