Printing a new cornea during an operation to restore a patient’s eyesight: This groundbreaking step in the fight against corneal disorders is set to become reality with a laser based process using personalized bioink. The method was developed by researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in collaboration with Carl Zeiss Meditec and Evonik Healthcare. Their project won the idea award in this year’s “Neuland” innovation contest.

When the cornea becomes deformed or loses its transparency, vision is seriously impaired. Corneal disorders are a typical phenomenon of old age, and increasing numbers of people in our aging population suffer from them.

The 3D printing of personalized corneas during surgery is the aim of the “VisioPrinTech” process, a pioneering new solution under development by a team of researchers headed by Professor Ute Schepers at the Institute of Functional Interfaces and the Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems at KIT. “Instead of being dependent on cornea donations, we’re using bioink made from the patient’s own stem cells and chemically modified collagen fibers,” Schepers said. “With our laser-based process, we can precisely position these cells to generate transparent and functional corneas with minimal risk of rejection.”

The method is set to provide a promising alternative to conventional transplantations and is also a crucial step toward personalized medicine. In a project involving industry partners, the next step will be to scale up the technology with initial production and testing in small batches.

For the 12th time, KIT called on its researchers and doctoral students to present the innovative projects resulting from their research activities. In addition to a chance to win cash prizes totaling 9,000 euros, the best ideas are accompanied during the transfer process by KIT innovation managers.