Yale to Develop New 3D-Printed Biomedical Applications Through Entrepreneurial Partnership

Seven faculty at Yale University — including Mark Saltzman, the Goizueta Foundation Professor and chair of Biomedical Engineering — have initiated a joint research program with Oxford Performance Materials Inc. (OPM) to develop novel 3D printed biomedical technologies and applications. Consisting of ten distinct projects, the Yale-OPM program will include the development of cranial and facial devices that can be directly attached to tissue, 3D printed rip prostheses, and 3D printed devices that can deliver therapeutics and antibiotics. 

Building upon the clinical expertise of Yale faculty, the program will utilize OPM’s proprietary high performance polymer and additive manufacturing process. “OPM’s formulation of the high performance polymer poly-ether-ketone-ketone is biocompatible, radiolucent, strong and durable, and 3D printing enables the facile fabrication of complex geometries,” said Saltzman. “In combination, these technologies present new and previously unavailable opportunities to develop and deliver customized, patient-specific therapies that are also economically viable.”

The Yale-OPM collaboration is the latest example of what Yale President Peter Salovey, in his speech at the AYA Assembly LXXIV, called “Yale’s dynamic tradition of innovation for impact.” Along with the Center for Biomedical & Interventional Technology (co-founded by Saltzman) as well as the Biomedical Device Design & Innovation course, the partnership is representative of the School of Engineering & Applied Science’s growing biomedical engineering entrepreneurial collaborations.

“Our comprehensive medical device development platform will support the innovation and dedication to improving patient care for which Yale and its faculty are recognized,” said Dr. Adam Hacking, Chief Scientific Officer at Oxford Performance Materials. “Together, we foresee the development and delivery of new medical technologies and applications in ways that were previously not possible.”

“[Connecticut] has long been an incubator for scientific, technological and medical innovation,” said Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy, “and this program has the potential to yield significant benefits to society through 3D printing, advanced materials science, and strategic partnership between private industry and academia. This is how innovation is fostered in the 21st century economy, and we are proud to support both Yale and OPM as they embark on this groundbreaking research right here in Connecticut.”