3D Endoscopic Microfabrication

Rebuilding tissue directly in the body is a major interdisciplinary research task. Although modern 3D printing technologies allow tissue scaffolds to be additively manufactured outside the body, their seamless implantation using minimally invasive methods is difficult. An endoscopic bio-3D printer could close this gap. A 3D-printed micro-optical system, as small as a grain of salt, on the tip of a glass fiber is designed to shape light in such a way that even complex tissue structures can be 3D-printed. The junior research group's central research questions are: Which method of light-based 3D printing is suitable for endoscopic use in a biomedical context? How can fiber-based 3D printing be implemented in a minimally invasive, efficient, and safe manner? In the future, such an endoscopic 3D printer could enable high-precision tissue reconstruction directly inside the body.

Research Budget: 1.8 Mio. € (incl. Overhead), funded by the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung in the program CZS Nexus
Funding period: October 2025 – September 2030

Associated project “InVivoPrint”: 470 k€ (in the consortium with IBBS and INSPO), funded by the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung in the program Life Science Engineering
Funding period: October 2025 – September 2028