Handheld Bioprinting of Multi-Component Hydrogels

Compact, light-weight, handheld printer devices are capable of delivering multi-part materials in mixed form, with controllable dwell-time within the device to allow for a desired amount of physical mixing and chemical cross-linking, while also allowing for deposition of the material directly onto a deposition site. A pen-style printer having a slim but elongated form factor is particularly suitable for depositing biomaterials directly onto a surgical site in the throat. The device may be configured to receive and dispense materials directly from conventional syringes. The printer device may be configured for dispensing and mixing materials having two or more component parts, and may include a leadscrew mechanism providing mechanical advantage, for dispensing higher-viscosity materials, and/or an enhanced degree of precision in dispensing a quantity of material. The mixing time and quantities can be controlled by varying one or more of syringe size and/or injector passage size and mixing chamber length.

Reference: https://uspto.report/patent/app/20210121639