The Department of Defense granted a team of researchers at the University of Arizona in Tucson $2 million to study bone regrowth technology, according to The Brunswick News.
Here are five insights:
1. The five-year grant will fund research into the team's existing technology, which combines adult stem cells and 3D printing.
2. The team of researchers use a 3D printer to develop plastic scaffolding, which features grooves, cavities and a sponge-like structure.
3. With the grant, researchers will explore the effects of the scaffolding after being placed with a patient's stem cells and calcium.
4. John Szivek, a professor at the university, will lead the study.
5. Mr. Szivek and his team aim to make the technology available to all patients, including those in car crashes and surgical cancer patients who have had bone removed.