ENTR 810 | Session 10 | Manufacturing, 3D Printing, and Genomics
Introduction
This compilation offers a comprehensive overview of breakthroughs in advanced manufacturing, 3D printing, and personalized medicine, emphasizing a global technological shift toward precision, customization, and efficiency. In the industrial sector, companies are adopting Industry 4.0 digital technologies, such as flexible automation and AI-powered inspections, to enhance agility, sustainability, and productivity. A significant advance in additive manufacturing is the development of Laser-Assisted Cold Spray (LACS), a technique that uses localized laser heating to repair and construct high-strength components with less thermal impact and without the high cost of helium, providing notable benefits for the aerospace and energy sectors. Simultaneously, 3D printing is being applied in biofabrication for healthcare, especially through the successful creation of functional human pancreatic islets using a novel bioink, which could potentially enable personalized, implantable therapies to eliminate insulin injections for Type 1 diabetes patients. The use of specialized bioinks also extends into food technology, where hydrophobic sorghum protein has been developed as a stable material for 3D-printed food and pharmaceutical delivery systems. These manufacturing innovations are matched by the genomics revolution and the rise of precision medicine, which leverages genetic and biological traits to customize treatments in areas such as oncology and pharmacology, moving beyond the traditional one-size-fits-all model. Central to this medical advancement is the gene-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9, which has led to the first FDA-approved gene therapies for severe blood disorders, with ongoing efforts to expand applications into fields like diabetes and autoimmune diseases. The foundation of these breakthroughs in precision medicine is Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is vital for swiftly analyzing large datasets, speeding up drug discovery, and detecting patterns, though ongoing challenges related to equitable access and the lack of diversity in genetic research still need to be addressed.
