The Lattice (Official 3DHEALS Podcast)

A single university discovery can turn into a life-changing therapy, but only if someone can translate the science into a product, a company, and a development plan investors will actually fund. That is why we sat down with Mark from UCLA’s technology transfer and licensing team to demystify what happens after the lab result and before the biotech headline. We talk plainly about what a tech transfer office does, what it can license, and why “intellectual property” now stretches beyond patents into data, materials, and even carefully governed patient datasets.

We also zoom out to the policy...

Speaker bio: https://3dheals.com/new-approach-methodologies-from-theory-to-validation/

On demand video link: Coming soon

YouTube: Coming soon 

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What does it take for a biologically sophisticated model to become a tool that pharma, CROs, and regulators can actually trust?

In this 3DHEALS panel, experts in human-relevant in vitro models, 3D bioprinting, organoids, microfluidics, and drug development explore the transition from promising New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) to decision-ready assays. The discussion moves beyond the simplistic question of whether NAMs can replace animal models and instead focuses on a more p...

Gravity shapes every lab workflow we take for granted, and it may be the hidden constraint behind some of the hardest problems in regenerative medicine. We sit down with Dr. Michael Roberts, a microecologist who led bioregenerative life support research at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and now serves as Chief Scientific Officer of the International Space Station National Laboratory, to talk about what microgravity is actually good for and why biomanufacturing in space is no longer just sci-fi.

YouTube: Pending

Show notes: Pending

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A brain organoid that can learn to play Pac-Man sounds like a stunt until you realize what it represents: measurable learning, rewiring, and human-relevant neural function that animal models often fail to predict. We talk with Dr. Lowry Curley, founder of Luna LifeSci and former CEO and co-founder of Axosim (now 28 Bio), about why neuroscience drug development breaks so often and how NAMs are finally giving teams better tools to make safer calls earlier.

If you’re building in biotech, investing in drug discovery, or just trying to understand what replaces animal testing next, this conversation gives yo...

Absorbable biomaterials have transformed modern medicine, enabling implants, sutures, and drug-delivery systems that safely degrade once their function is complete. Dr. Rao S. Bezwada has helped shape the field of bioresorbable polymers for more than three decades. As the inventor of Monocryl®, the absorbable suture that has generated more than $2 billion in worldwide sales, and the holder of more than 150 U.S. patents, his innovations have influenced everything from surgical sutures to next-generation biomaterials. In this episode of The Lattice, Dr. Bezwada joins Dr. Jenny Chen to discuss the science behind bioresorbable polymers, the chemistry that controls how materials d...

If you have ever wondered why dentistry can feel both high-tech and oddly hand-built at the same time, this conversation connects the dots. We talk with Dr. Nabeel Cajee, an oral implantologist in Newport Beach and faculty at Torque Academy and Implant Ninja School, about what it really takes to bring digital dentistry into daily patient care without turning your practice into a science project. From the earliest days of open-source 3D printing to today’s clinical workflows, he breaks the ecosystem down into what actually matters: data capture, dental CAD design, and fabrication with dependable post-processing.

If...

We explain what physical AI is and why it matters when AI can sense, decide, and act in the real world rather than just analyze data. We map where it shows up across healthcare today, what’s holding it back, and the trends that could make it the next big platform shift in medicine. 

Check out our full guide on physical AI in healthcare here.

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We put a price tag on “saving a life” by comparing blockbuster AI spending with the tiny budgets aimed at artificial organs and organ regeneration. We walk through why bioprinted kidneys are so hard to build, why kidney failure is such a massive economic burden, and what smarter near-term bets could look like. 

This podcast is just a summary. 

Read the full article here: 

https://3dheals.com/how-much-should-artificial-organs-be-thoughts-from-agi/

Highlights:
• the jaw-dropping gap between AI spending and artificial organ funding 
• why artificial organs are not one problem but many 
• examples of nea...

Ossiform is on track to bring the first 3D printed resorbable bone implant to the US market. The company’s preclinical data showed full bone regeneration in six months. Monica Wellejus, Chief Commercial Officer of Ossiform, joins The Lattice to explain how a company built to personalize bone implants for craniomaxillofacial surgeries is pivoting to mass-produced bone implants for foot deformity, and why hospital finance teams, not just the surgeons, may decide whether this technology actually reaches patients.
⚠️ Disclaimer:
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The views expressed do not constitute engineering, medical, or financ...

What does it take to invent a technology that didn't exist before?

In this episode, host Dr. Jenny Chen sits down with Professor Paul Dalton, the inventor of melt electrowriting (MEW) and one of the rare "triple threats" in science: an inventor, educator, and futurist. This is also a conversation about science, creativity, and why MEW isn't just a technology but a movement.

Paul takes us from a boredom-filled childhood on a rural farm outside Perth, Australia, to the ophthalmic research lab where he helped build artificial corneas that restored sight to blind patients. He...

Surgery is moving into a world where we can measure, simulate, and even rehearse before we ever touch a patient, but getting 3D surgical planning to feel “normal” inside a hospital is still a battle. We bring together a rare mix of voices across the ecosystem to explain what’s actually working, what’s still missing, and what it takes to scale medical 3D printing and virtual surgical planning without sacrificing safety or quality.

Event Page: https://3dheals.com/3d-surgical-planning/

Subscribe, share this with someone building a 3D program, and leave a review w...

This is our second episode recorded at the Materialise conference.  Our guest for this episode is no other than the CEO of Materialise Brigitte de Vet-Veithen. It is a pleasure for me to be able to conduct this interview, because Materialise is such a legendary company that has spent 35 years building the software and services infrastructure behind patient-specific implants, surgical planning, and point-of-care manufacturing. We also got to know Brigitte as a person and the new leader of the company. Importantly, we covered the metrics that signal adoption, challenges to scale beyond the halo case, and her v...

This is one of two episodes we have recorded during our trip to Leuven Belgium for the Materialise 2026 Conference, focusing on 3D planning and 3D printing in hospitals. We talked with Dr. Tristan Remcharan about how pediatric cardiology imaging can become something you can literally hold, using 3D segmentation and 3D printing to make congenital heart disease easier to plan, teach, and explain. We also dig into the 2D versus 3D generational divide and the real-world funding hurdles that decide whether point-of-care 3D becomes routine care. 

Show notes: https://3dheals.com/episode-113-how-3d-printing-explains-the-unexplainable-with-dr-tristan-ramcharan/

You can learn a lot about the future of healthcare by watching how a single pill gets made. From a small office in London, we sit down with Prof Alvaro Goyanes, co-founder and CEO of FabRx, to unpack how 3D printed pharmaceuticals are turning personalized medicine from an idea into a working system. If you’ve ever wondered why patients still get forced into a handful of standard doses, this conversation shows what changes when medicine becomes software-driven and printable on demand. 

We talk about what FabRx is building, why they’ve stayed deeply research-led while...

Everyone talks about printing organs, but the closest thing to real impact often starts with something less flashy and far more practical: the materials. We bring together founders and operators working across bioprinted implants, structural bone substitutes, cryopreserved tissue models, and natural biopolymer manufacturing to answer one question that matters: what actually makes advanced biofabrication translate from bench to bedside?

We dig into bone regeneration and why scaffolds fail when they can’t balance strength, vascular support, and predictable resorption. You’ll hear how absorbable polyurethane platforms aim to avoid acidic degradation while letting teams program mechanics and...

Neurotech is the category most investors whisper about and then walk away from: too technical, too regulated, too slow. We wanted to talk to someone who leans in anyway, so I sat down with Varun Turlapati, founder of Chanakya Capital, to hear how he’s building an early-stage fund dedicated to neurotech devices and why he thinks the “long horizon” objection often misses what’s actually happening on the ground.

We unpack Varun’s path from software engineering into venture capital, including the mindset shift from analysis paralysis to fast iteration with smart guardrails. From there, we widen the...

We track the biggest healthcare 3D printing stories from March 2026, from bioprinted organs and sustainable bioinks to FDA-cleared implants and hospital point-of-care wins. We also look at how 3D printed cancer tools, training models, microrobots, and AI quality control are moving from research into real clinical and manufacturing workflows. 
• bioprinted uterus model for preterm labor drug testing and future personalization 
• ENLIGHT pancreas project using volumetric bioprinting and long viability gels for diabetes research 
• vascularized adipose tissue implants for soft tissue repair and breast reconstruction 
• Singapore biofabrication roadmap focused on sustainable biomaterials and circular supply chains 
• FDA 510...

What happens when a hospital needs a simple part but the supply chain takes weeks or months to deliver it? Dr. Stephan Ryan, physician and co-founder of PolyUnity, set out to solve that problem by helping hospitals produce parts themselves through safe, compliant 3D printing. In this episode, Stephen Ryan shares how early clinical experiences and an academic 3D printing lab evolved into a platform designed to help hospitals manufacture equipment on demand. The COVID pandemic accelerated that vision, exposing major supply chain gaps and pushing the team to rapidly scale production. Stephen Ryan explains...

We map the biggest shifts in healthcare 3D printing this month, from emissions safety to custom eyewear, implant surfaces, microfluidics, and space-based biomanufacturing. We weigh promise against risk and share where standards and design can close the gap.

• emissions from desktop and industrial printers and why they matter 
• safeguards for vulnerable groups and safer materials and testing 
• face-scan eyewear, on-demand manufacturing, and fashion collaborations 
• implant surface roughness, porosity, coatings, and clinical outcomes 
• ceramic, titanium, and PEEK devices for spine, ankle, and CMF 
• microfluidics for diagnostics and microneedle vaccines and immunotherapy 
• digital microfluidics and 3D...

We share how a decade of soft robotics, open APIs, and relentless iteration turned a 3D-printed prototype into a durable, touch-sensing bionic hand used by amputees and robots. Stories of failure, funding, and firsts reveal how speed, sensation, and design choices translate to real lives and real factories.

• early 3D printing wins and durability limits
• shift to soft robotics, silicone overmolding, carbon fiber reinforcement
• founding spark, Ecuador trial, and move from academia to company
• SBIR lifeline, failed crowdfunding, then coverage and clinical validation
• speed, grip force, and touch sensors compared with the market
• open...

We track a month of fast-moving news in healthcare 3D printing, from organ-scale bioprinting programs and ARPA-H’s funding model to point-of-care tools already entering clinics. The throughline is clear: vascularization, immune compatibility, and scale are converging with real-world deployment.

• UT Southwestern’s organoid-plus-bioprinting strategy for durable liver tissue
• Carnegie Mellon’s consortium on vascularization, immune control, and scale
• ARPA-H’s moonshot funding model is accelerating medical innovation
• Aspect Biosystems and Novo Nordisk’s bet on curing diabetes
• Cost shift from chronic management to curative therapies
• Near-term point-of-care printing: Curify Labs and AZORG integrations

A crowded JP Morgan week can blur into noise, so we built a quieter stage to focus on what actually moves healthcare forward: 3D software‑planned care, on‑demand manufacturing, and proof that patients and payers can feel. Recorded live in San Francisco, this special episode brings founders and investors together to show how 3D data and advanced manufacturing are turning personalization into a scalable, measurable reality.

We start with a rare blueprint for value in spine surgery: virtual planning, patient‑specific 3D printed implants, and post‑op analytics that cut two‑year reoperations by 74% while compressing lead times...

Healthcare 3D printing is moving fast, and design is leading the way. In this episode, we explore how advanced CAD, simulation, and automation are enabling patient-specific implants, multi-material tissue-like structures, AI-powered prosthetics, and fully custom pediatric seating. Beyond the printer, human-centered design and smart workflows are turning ideas into devices that improve patient care. 

We start with the biology. Orthopedic engineer Matthew Shomper of Not a Robot Engineering, LatticeRobot, and Allumin8 explains why stress shielding sets up decades of problems and shows how patient-specific scaffolds can be generated in minutes. Analyze intact versus defect states, compare strain f...

We explore how to move IVIG from donor scarcity to on‑demand manufacturing with tissue‑engineered bioreactors, and why that shift could lower costs, expand access, and improve consistency. We dig into polyclonal advantages, regulatory guardrails, scaling plans, and what success would mean for complex biologics beyond antibodies.

• Defining a bioreactor that recreates human tissue niches
• Why polyclonal IVIG remains essential across 100+ conditions
• Limits of donor‑dependent plasma supply and regional variability
• Complex therapeutics as a new manufacturing category
• Cost targets of 10–100x reduction and CapEx shrink
• Coffee‑cup reactors and near‑term validation mileston...

In this episode, Alyssa Huffman, CEO and co-founder of Allumin8, shares the six-year journey behind a first-of-its-kind 5.5 mm porous, 3D-printed pedicle screw. We discussed how Allumin8 earned FDA clearance and why design details matter for fatigue, fixation, and fewer revisions. We also map a path toward therapeutic hardware that integrates orthobiologics without slowing surgeons down.

Critical questions addressed:

Why does 5.5 mm matter so much?

How does Gaussian topography support bone ingrowth?
What are some of the lessons from fatigue testing and post-processing?
What are the additive vs milled manufacturing...

Imagine holding a child’s heart in your hands and seeing the exact path a surgeon must take before a single incision. That shift from uncertainty to clarity frames this conversation on how 3D printing, virtual reality, and advanced imaging are transforming pediatric cardiology. Our speakers show how AI-assisted segmentation, multimodality fusion, VR rehearsal, and rapid mixed-reality planning are reshaping preoperative strategy and improving communication with families.

Sarah Ptashnik of Materialise opens with the modeling perspective, walking through how CT, MRI, echo, and cath-lab 3DRA are turned into precise hollow heart models that guide baffles, conduits, and ca...

Orthotics and prosthetics are entering a new era. Instead of hand-built devices that take days to shape and adjust, clinicians can now scan a limb, tune the geometry in software, and print a device that fits with impressive consistency. This episode explores how that shift is happening in real clinics and fabrication labs by hearing from experts who are shaping the future of digital O and P.

We have Michael Schmitt of Prosthetic Plus , who has moved from traditional clinical practice into advanced additive manufacturing and now helps run a central fabrication site that blends MJF and...

In this episode, Dr. Karolina Valente, Founder and CEO of VoxCell BioInnovation, discusses her journey in biotechnology, focusing on 3D bioprinting and its impact on cancer research and drug discovery. She shares insights into her leadership at VoxCell, the company's growth, and the accolades it has received. Dr. Valente also talks about the importance of partnerships, the future of biotechnology, and her personal experiences that drive her passion for innovation.

Questions answered:

Summary

In this conversation, Jenny Chen explores the complex implications of ChatGPT on intelligence and education. She emphasizes the need for careful consideration of the technology's impact, particularly in academic settings, and discusses the broader context of a technological revolution that may have both positive and negative consequences.


Takeaways

How well do we really understand the body? For decades, surgeons have relied on static scans and flat 2D models to plan procedures. Gilly Yildirim believes it’s time to expand our view to more dimensions. As founder and CEO of Vent Creativity, he is bringing together point clouds, digital twins, and physics-based AI to capture movement with a level of precision that static imaging is far from.

In conversation with Jenny Chen, Gilly Yildirim describes how his team built a platform that sees the body not as a collection of bones, but as a dynamic system of...

Microfluidics has long promised to reshape diagnostics, drug discovery, and laboratory science. Microfluidics is about manipulating how tiny amounts of liquid move through channels no wider than a human hair; a "lab on a chip" diagnostic. Now imagine being able to 3D print those channels instead of painstakingly etching them. Paul Marshall, CEO of Rapid Fluidics, is working to improve the norm by applying additive manufacturing to the design and production of microfluidic systems.

In this episode, Jenny Chen speaks with Marshall about how 3D printing enables fluidic devices with architectures that cannot be produced through conventional...

What truly makes bioprinting possible isn’t just 3D printers. It's important to understand the materials that flow through them. In this virtual event, we explored the world of biomaterials for tissue engineering and how chemists are shaping the future of regenerative medicine through careful material design. 

On demand course: https://3dheals.com/courses/advanced-biomaterials-for-3d-printed-medtech-and-biotech/

YouTube highlights: Here

Our editorial event recap: https://3dheals.com/what-are-the-latest-advances-in-biomaterials-for-3d-bioprinting/

Bowman Bagley, Vice President of Commercial at CollPlant, introduces recombinant human collagen made from genetically modified tobacco plants. This approach avoids animal-derived components whi...

What happens when advanced mathematics meets manufacturing? The result is a new way of creating products that range from record-breaking running shoes to life-changing medical devices.

In this episode, we sit down with Elissa Ross, mathematician and CEO of Metafold 3D, to explore how her company is using mathematics to reshape design and manufacturing. Metafold’s platform is built on geometric intelligence which is her company's novel approach that transforms shapes into data that can be analyzed and improved. Instead of simply representing objects the way traditional CAD software does this method allows engineers to simulate and op...

Cartilage injuries sideline millions every year, yet current treatments often fail to restore long-term function. In this episode, Dr. Nathan Castro and Dr. Ben Holmes, co-founders of Nanochon, explain how they are tackling this challenge with a 3D-printed implant designed not only to replace damaged tissue but to help it regrow. What began as a collaboration in a graduate lab has grown into a company now preparing for its first human clinical trial.

Their journey began at George Washington University in Dr. Grace Zhong’s tissue engineering lab, where the freedom to explore outside of strict grant-funded pr...

What if your medication could be made just for you? No more pill overload and no more awkward dosing workarounds. Just the exact treatment you need when you need it. That is the promise of 3D printed pharmaceuticals.

Drug manufacturing has relied on a one-size-fits-all model for decades. Nearly half of all medications lack proper formulations for children and seniors are often left struggling to manage boxes of pills each day. It is time for a smarter, more personal approach.

In this episode, you will hear how innovators around the world are reimagining what medicine...

Lee Dockstader takes us on a fascinating journey through the commercialization of 3D printing in healthcare, drawing from his decades of experience with industry giants like HP and 3D Systems. Dockstader is one of the major pioneers of the 3D printing revolution that helped transform medical applications today.

The conversation takes us behind the curtain of industry-defining moments few people know about. One is the story of Invisalign. Today it’s a household name, but in its early years Align Technology struggled to survive. Orthodontists resisted the innovation, and for nearly a decade the company failed to tu...

The future of medicine is growing closer to recreating the very building blocks of life itself. In this groundbreaking discussion, four bioprinting experts reveal how their technologies are moving rapidly from laboratory concepts to clinical realities that could forever change how we treat disease.

Mike Graffeo, the CEO and co-founder of FluidForm Bio, shares the group's remarkable progress toward eliminating insulin injections for type 1 diabetes patients. Their FRESH 3D bioprinting technology creates implants that produce insulin naturally in response to blood glucose. "Life should not come with a needle," Graffeo emphasizes, highlighting how their approach could deliver...

What happens when cutting-edge technology meets veterinary expertise? Precision, innovation, and better outcomes for our four-legged family members. 

Dr. Bill Oxley, a prominent figure in veterinary orthopaedics, walks us through the evolving world of 3D-guided veterinary surgery. With years of surgical experience behind him, Dr. Oxley began to question the limits of traditional planning methods. Complex bone deformities that looked manageable on initially often became challenges in the operating room. The tools weren’t the problem. The planning was. His solution? Bringing veterinary orthopedics into the three-dimensional world through advanced imaging, computer-aided design, and 3D printing.

This is an AI-generated audio version of the news section of the Lattice Newsletter. You can find the full newsletter, including a list of recent healthcare 3D printing and bioprinting news here. 

Full Lattice Newsletter Archive.

Highlighted news this week:

• US Army developing field-deployable bioprinting labs for creating custom skin grafts in combat zones
• Stanford researchers designing organ-scale vascular trees for 3D-printed hearts 200 times faster than previous methods
• First patient treated with a bioengineered external liver (ELAP) for acute liver failure
• Researchers creating 3D bioprinted brain models that mimi...

Artificial intelligence is transforming medical 3D printing and bioprinting. In this virtual event, hear from a panel of experts from across the globe. Our speakers showcase the practical applications of AI in creating personalized medical solutions that were previously impossible.

One size does not fit all. William Jung, Business Development Director of FITme in South Korea, explains how AI-driven customized silicone implants are revolutionizing cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. Using a design screening engine that reduces design time from hours to minutes, FITme’s technology has supported over 30,000 surgical cases and captured 85% of the Korean market.

At...