The World’s Smallest Bioprinter Is Designed to Repair Vocal Cords from the Inside

The world’s largest land mammal has just inspired one of the smallest 3D bioprinters ever created. Developed by researchers at McGill University in Canada, the device measures just 2.7 mm wide, about the width of a grain of rice, and uses a flexible, trunk-like nozzle to print healing hydrogels directly onto the vocal cords during surgery.

Like an elephant’s trunk, the bioprinter’s soft robotic arm can bend, twist, and move with precision in tight spaces. Mounted to a surgical microscope, it allows surgeons to manually deposit biomaterials inside the throat without blocking visibility, something traditional injection tools struggle to achieve.

Schematic overview of suspension laryngoscopy with the MIISB. (Photo credit: Cell Press)

Published in Device on October 29, this new approach adds precision to in situ tissue repair and could help reduce the post-operative scarring that often limits a patient’s ability to speak.