In 2013, parents of a 5-month-old child were told that it was unlikely that their son, who suffered from a condition known as tracheobronchomalacia, would live to leave the hospital.
Today, from a desk full of 3-D printed models, Scott Hollister picks up a small splint that saved that child’s life.
Hollister is a professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering and associate professor of surgery at U-M.
Along with colleague Dr. Glenn Green, Hollister designed a splint that was placed on the baby’s airway to expand a collapsed bronchus blocking air flow to his lungs. The splint was 3-D printed using a biopolymer known as polycaprolactone — a biocompatible material that will be reabsorbed into the body over the course of several years.
The splint has now been used in four different cases.
In the case of the second patient, both bronchi were collapsed and two splints were placed. The splint needed a redesign for the situation. Hollister’s team was able to discuss the design on a Wednesday, design the spiral splint on Thursday and print it on that Friday. It took a total of three days to design a brand new medical device.
“It used to be frustrating to think that if we start doing research on this maybe in three or four years we can have something for them,” Hollister says. “The fact that you can design something and you have the technology to make it right away is phenomenal.”
Hollister has long been making strides in the field of biomedical engineering. 3-D printing has been around since the mid-1980s, though Hollister became involved in the field in the 1990s. When designing complicated pore patterns for medical devices and scaffolds, he turned to 3-D printing to produce the structures. His first paper, which was the second in the field on 3-D printed scaffolds, was published in 1997.
Hollister teaches courses on regulatory issues in medical device design, as well as computer modeling techniques for tissue mechanics and devices.
His research focuses on the design, fabrication and implementation of biomaterials for tissue reconstruction. He studies ways to engineer biomaterial platforms for surgical reconstruction and medical devices, exploring regenerative medicine through image-based modeling, bio-materials and 3-D printing. This includes research on computational device design and 3-D printing for bio-materials, which are combined to design new medical devices.
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In the future, Hollister hopes to expand the range of materials that can be 3-D printed. Additionally, he dreams of setting up a good manufacturing practice center for 3-D printing at U-M. While medical companies produce devices for large markets, smaller distinct markets like pediatrics may not be targeted in production.
“The advantage of 3-D printing is you can produce a variety of structures and customized implants for very low volumes,” Hollister says. “I think you’ll see academic medical centers like us will start to produce their own devices to address kids’ issues because there’s not a lot out there for them.”
In the future, he hopes to print more customized external devices and implants for patients in areas like gastrointestinal and bone reconstruction. Additionally, the technology aids his work in the computational design and modeling of surgical operations. And he hopes to bring more of the devices he designs into clinical use.
“In our field, our goal is to apply engineering to try to help patients and I’ve been fortunate in the field that our work has been able to help patients, especially in cases where there wasn’t really any alternative.”
Q & A
What moment in the classroom or lab stands out as the most memorable?
Working with my colleagues to get a resorbable splint we had developed ready to implant in the first patient.
What can’t you live without?
My family.
What is your favorite spot near campus?
The Arb.
What inspires you?
Trying to create something new.
What are you currently reading?
“An Army at Dawn” by Rick Atkinson.
What was the biggest/greatest influence on your career path?
The desire to develop new devices that can treat a condition and improve someone’s life.
