Page 34 - 2019 Annual Report

1,661
FIRST/LAST AUTHORSHIPS
Bionic Eyes
Kuhrmeyer Family Chair and Professor of Mechanical Engineering Michael McAlpine, PhD, and his team are known for integrating 3D-printing, electronics, and biology on a single platform. They have 3D-printed patient-specific organ models to help surgeons prepare for surgery; developed a technology to print electronics and live cells on moving skin; and developed an extremely precise method of printing neural stem cells into a 3D-printed scaffold that is a critical step in tissue engineering “bridges” to treat spinal cord and other neurological injuries.
His research team is also working toward creating a bionic eye. They were the first to fully 3D print an array of light receptors on a hemispherical surface.
To do this, they had to ensure dispensed ink stayed in place and dried uniformly instead of running down the curved surface. The researchers then used semiconducting polymer materials to print photodiodes, which convert light into electricity. The next steps
are to create a prototype with a greater number of optimized light receptors and to find a way to print on a soft hemispherical material that could be implanted in the retina of the eye.
2,639
UNIQUE PUBLICATIONS
67%
FULL-TIME FACULTY PUBLISHED
September October
President Joan T. A. Gabel inaugurated as M Health Fairview brand 17th president of the University of Minnesota. officially launches.
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HEALTH FAIRVIEW