Everyone Was Wrong in 2023! Happy The Year of Dragon ??

All content of this email is for entertainment purposes and not investment advice. All the news we share via social media can be found here . To subscribe to this email, click here . Alternatively, we also have a LinkedIn version of this newsletter.? This edition includes: Insights/Reflection, News, Events, Watchwhile, Open Source, Going Viral, Book Rec

“When intelligent people read, they ask themselves a simple question: What do I plan to do with this information?”

― Ryan Holiday, Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator

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Hi, Dragons! ??

First, I want to apologize for procrastinating through November, December, and now nearly mid-January to finish this newsletter. In two months, however, my perception of the world transformed again. This can be partially credited to a recent book called “Trust Me, I’m Lying,” which I read by [gasp] marketer-now-turn-philosopher Ryan Holiday.? (a Wikipedia link here! more on this later)

Speaking of reading books, I haven't read as much as I would like to in 2023, and certainly not like Charlie Munger even at age 99, who sadly passed away in November. In this WSJ interview , this quote struck a chord with me:?

“WSJ: Is there anything you’ve learned recently from the books you’ve read?

Charlie: I think I learned a little something from…everything I’ve read. I think that one of the reasons I was as economically successful as I was in life is because I read so damn much all my life, starting when I was about six years old. I don’t know how to get smart without reading a lot.” ?

I started reading as a hobby again?in 2022, and it has already served me immensely in business and life. Reading helped me obtain new analytical skills, history (which repeats itself), and frequent introspections to manage my emotions (we are almost all emotional). That’s why in all of our speaker interviews , we now asked all the speakers what book he/she liked.? ?

Returning to this email's title, Why Everyone Was Wrong in 2023, Most overt apologies were from Wall Street. Many analysts were wrong about the direction of the 2023 stock market. But closer to home, many predictions this year on some of our industry's high-profile merger and acquisition deals were also wrong , mine included!?

How time is often the most honest storyteller! ?

For 2024, obtaining, digesting, and using higher-quality information is even more critical. Here are some tips I gathered from reading this book: ?

• Beware of blogs (Social media posts, etc). Just because a piece of news (sometimes with a nice picture or video) is published on a blog (i.e., any website) does not mean it is accurate or helpful. A single or 100 blogs could publish the same news off a single press release that adds no value to your life. Occasionally, that can be on TV news, too, but so what? We are still not 3D printing an organ. 3DHEALS is also a blog, and our editorial team tries to publish quality original pieces that are more than one thousand words with references. But can mistakes happen? It certainly can. Please feel free to let us know if errors occur.?
• Verify. Verify. Verify. Herd mentality gets compounded quickly in the digital media age. Slow down that finger to “like,” “click,” and “retweet” because quick and often mindless reactions could be and often are the actual incentives behind why news is published. 3DHEALS does not post breaking news but shares it regularly through social media. My 2024 New Year resolution is to share higher-quality third-party content with verifiable news sources for this newsletter. Your input is welcome.
• Stay alert against iterative journalism. Iterative reporting is a new way of journalism in the digital age. Reporters can reactively jump on an “attractive” piece of news and add edits as more facts surface. Sometimes, the subsequent edits can be opposites and devastating to those initially negatively impacted by such “breaking news.” The edits don’t always get distributed as widely as the original false information. Because of “cognitive rigidity” (see below), the harm done by the initial false news can be permanent. While not a news agency, Wikipedia is a well-trusted information source and an excellent example of such an “iterative” process. For example, “By 2010, the article on the Iraq war had accumulated more than 12K edits.” (on Wikipedia) Therefore, without a trustworthy source, it is easy to manipulate a piece of news or a Wikipedia page to “milk” the audience for attention. Yes, you will now ponder about every Wikipedia page you see. Do that! One other example is the Sam Altman drama at OpenAI. ? In the end, it was a “nothing burger” that did not amount to anything to advance humanity or artificial intelligence but exposed the vulnerabilities of organizations, greed, and venture capitalists. We would have been just fine without this “news.” So, in my opinion, other than natural disasters or imminent life-threatening events, breaking news can all wait.?
• Fend?off cognitive rigidity. Sometimes, I am the offender of being cognitively rigid daily! Our ability to accept alternative explanations, frameworks, and worldviews is limited. It takes discipline to train ourselves against what feels “right.”?
• Ideas that spread, depending on the medium. The power of new media formats is often underestimated. In history, new media technologies, from the printing press to blogs and social media, have ignited wars, invented new societies, and defined generations. For example, Martin Luther,? who started the Protestant Reformation in 1517, successfully used the printing press, a new technology, to spread his ideas far and quickly. “Between 1517 and 1520, more than three hundred thousand copies of his books, pamphlets, and broadsides were distributed” (Reference: The Status Game ). What we are seeing right now with social media, at every stratum of society, is, in fact, the same kind of revolution. How we can leverage these new digital media to succeed and not become victims of them in business and life depends on new awareness and conscious consumption habits. You will get what you are looking for, but you have to look for it. If you would like to have an information edge on anything, don’t stop at the pretty infographics, but dig deeper into the 10K SEC filings and Pubmed publications, go to the library to borrow a book that’s not on Kindle, or attend a 3DHEALS webinar. ?These require discipline, patience, and a trained temperament. They are nothing natural. Finally, thank you for coming along on this journey, and cheers to a more brilliant 2024! Jenny Chen, M.D. Founder/CEO 3DHEALS ?

Events/Community ???

#JoinTheTribe2023:

In 2023, we have accomplished a lot:?

1. Hosted 12 virtual events, totaling more than two thousand live and on-demand attendees.??
2. Hosted two in-person events; an acorn has been planted for 2024Interviewed: 35 speakers.
3. Here are the interviews .
4. Six new Expert Corner blogs.?
5. Three new or updated 3DHEALS Guides .
6. 300 New companies added to our Company Directory (close to 750 companies listed)
7. Pitch3D startups helped: Twenty-One.

#JoinTheTribe2024:

Stay tuned for more in-person events in Vancouver, New York City, San Francisco, and Boston. We are looking for local ambassadors for these events.?

Call for Speakers 3DHEALS 2024 virtual events:

In 2024, we plan to organize 1-2 virtual events per month, focusing on topics that we believe will immediately impact the life science/healthcare sector.?Speaking is FREE, but we do have a vetting process. The following are the upcoming topics (actual title may vary):

1. AR/VR for medicine
2. 3D Printing for Veterinary Medicine (Scheduled: Feb 1st)
3. Dental 3D Printing
4. 3D Printing for Bones/Musculoskeletal System
5. 3D Printing Skin
6. Microfabrication
7. Bioelectronics
8. MELT Electrowriting and 3D Printing
9. In Silico Simulation for 3D Printing
10. Biomaterials
11. 3D Printing at the Point of Care
12. AI/ML for Bioprinting and 3D Printing
13. Investment landscape
14. Microfluidics
15. 3DPrinted O&P

As usual, the live event is free and will be on demand on our website after the events. We tried out Zoom Event Hub last year and are sticking with it. If you want to add any other interesting topics, please reply to this email.? Want to get our updates more promptly? Here is our subscription link.

Apply to Speak

Partner Event :

Feb 6-8, 2024, New York City:?Additive Manufacturing Strategies 2024, discount code?3DHEALS20 for 20% off

News ??& Thoughts

1. Desktop Health Announces First Patients Treated with FDA-Cleared CMFlex? – an Off-the-Shelf 3D Printed Synthetic Bone Graft Product Pioneered by Dimension Inx on the 3D-Bioplotter? Good news for both DimensionInx, Desktop Metal/Health, and 3D bioprinted acellular graft industry at large. With clearer regulatory pathways, more startups, products, and competitions will ensure, ultimately, a good thing for patients.?
2. Breakthrough in 3D printing could enable access to personalized prosthetic devices anywhere in the world Unfortunately, we are not there yet, STILL. The title of the article is missing (classic clickbait). Still, the meat of the research by Dr. Li is valid, “Dr. Li and team have optimized their 3D printed socket designs through extensive testing in their in-house developed facilities, which involves subjecting printed prototypes to loads ranging from 6,000 to 16,000 Newtons, equivalent to seven-to-20 times of body weight, depending on the user.” We are still a stretch away, and our recent webinar on this subject is very insightful.?
3. MedScan3D: Shaping the future of health with medical 3D printing 3D printing service, especially prototyping, remains the primary revenue source—great interview and story about how a medical modeling startup grows.
4. Crew Awaits Sunday Cargo Delivery, Works Bioprinting, and DNA Extraction ?Just another day in space.?
5. CELLINK Bioprinter Enables Bioprinted Hair Follicles for Skin Regeneration, and More ?Frankly, a quick Google search showed that many researchers have accomplished creating in-vitro hair follicles and implanted in mice (they look like in-grown hair). However, this topic brightens many’s eyes since few of us are blessed with beautiful hair indefinitely. Commercialization is more challenging than you think. Check out this startup currently fundraising. Here is another good reason to do research in this area beyond vanity, “The pilosebaceous unit, which encompasses the hair follicle and the sebaceous gland, is integral to the skin’s overall structure and serves a vital function in the healing of wounds. For that reason, it is a key focus in skin research. The importance of hair follicles, therefore, extends far beyond mere cosmetics and actually plays a crucial role in maintaining skin health.”
6. Chris Green MP Visits revolutionary bioprinting facility at University of ManchesterChris .?I wish we had more engineers in Congress.
7. TissenBioFarm wins the ‘World Cell-based Innovation Awards’ ?It's Not a new concept, but there are so many questions. Is bioprinted food just another form of processed food with harmful additives to make it “marbling”? Also, neither Thyssen Biopharmaceuticals nor TissueBioFarm website links work, not a good sign. Meanwhile, this webinar could provide some insights.
8. Materialise Plays A Crucial Role in Breakthrough Eye?Transplant Surgery at NYU Langone Health .?The patient can’t see yet, but if he can, this is a new scientific miracle. WSJ reports on the same case here .
9. BICO: CELLINK and Ossiform Enter a Strategic Partnership to launch Ossi Ink, a printable bioink based on Ossiform’s P3D Bone material .?I predict bioprinting bone products will be the first bioprinting commercial success. It's getting crowded here. Subscribe to our newsletter for the announcement of the 3D Bioprinting Bone event this year.?
10. 3D bioprinting trials begin for medical breakthroughs .?Yes, Pakistan, Iran, Russia, and China are all working on bioprinting and progressing. Healthy competitions. I say we hire all of their professors to US universities to win. =D
11. Infection-resistant, 3D?printed metals developed for implants .?The magic antibacterial effect of copper was mentioned previously in this 3DHEALS video and this blog . Where is the majority of copper in the world located? (Hint: read the blog or watch the interview)
12. Probiotics research looks to 3D printing to get the good stuff in the gut . Targeted gut drug delivery could be an excellent application for 3D-printed drugs. Here is the original publication. A similar past publication by Pitch3D startup CraftHealth can also be found here .?
13. Veterinary 3D Printing Helps in Dog’s Hip Surgery ?Don't get me wrong, treating animals and children is not the same as adult medicine, but there are similarities, including benefits from 3D printing.
14. 3D SYSTEMS, AXTRA3D, AND OQTON FORGE ALLIANCE TO BOOST DENTAL 3D PRINTING WITH NEXT-GENERATION SOLUTION ?Axtra3D’s printer, 3D Systems’ materials, and Oqton’s software (part of 3D Systems). Is 3DSystems moving out of the printer business? Alternatively, is a possible acquisition coming up? Who has the moat?
15. Retinal Restoration with 3D Printed Microneedles: Tiny Tools Enable Giant Leaps in MedTech ?Technically, it’s not a retinal injection but a “suprachoroidal space (SCS)” injection. “Owing to the technique's less invasive nature, SCS injection may also have a lower risk of ocular complications like glaucoma, cataracts, and retinal detachment, which can occur with intravitreal or subretinal injections.” ?I am betting big on small (microfabrication). From BMF to Triolabs , the sub-micron scale may be where mass additive manufacturing has an unfair advantage.?
16. Dentsply Sirona Introduces 3D Printing Resins for Production of Flexible Splints with Primeprint ?Material innovation could alleviate some post-processing pain.?
17. Bone cows bred in Australia provide base material for dental grafts .?Xenotransplantation has a high “yuck factor,” also known as the “wisdom of repugnance.” The “yuck factor” is the belief that an emotional, intuitively negative response to an idea, a thing, or a practice (without rationalization) should be considered as “evidence” of the existence of intrinsically harmful or evil according to our past bioethics blog on this. With more and more synthetic 3D-printed bone grafts available, we can certainly avoid this “yuck factor”.
18. Transforming orthodontics with 3D printed palatal expanders What are palatal expanders? Good question. Here is an explanation from Cleveland Clinic.
19. Organoids Evolve from Academic Marvel to Industrial Tool ?Good article on automation and organoids production. Can we ever 100% control biologics? Also, check out an excellent webinar on this subject here .?
20. Study on beneficial properties of eggshell membrane as material for bone regeneration wins award ?Nature is full of magic. New dual-function hybrid material could improve guided bone regeneration for implants in dentistry and bone defects. ?
21. Nexa3D Announces Intent to Acquire Essentium; Adds High Speed Extrusion to its Product Portfolio ?https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nexa3d-announces-intent-acquire-essentium-060000645.html Industry consolidation continues. Series C company acquiring series A .
22. “Hardware at the Speed of Software”: Inkbit’s CEO on the Future of Materials in 3D Printing ?I would love more 3D printing company optimize workflow using AI/ML/machine vision, and I think Inkbit’s future is promising. While new materials development is essential, a smooth-operating machine with a system-integrated software package is also vital to more material sales. All three elements have to be present at the same time. Check out our past event on AI and 3D printing where the CEO of Inkbit presented its technology.
23. [INTERVIEW] RANDY ALTSCHULER XOMETRY CEO, A MODERN MANUFACTURING MARKETPLACE PROPELLED BY AI AND 3D PRINTING ?Great in-depth interview. FYI, a similar company, 3DHUBS, is now a part of protolabs.?
24. 3D-printed orthopedic implant benefits also present challenges ?A good discussion on the downside of porosity in 3D-printed implants. Quality control is challenging.
25. Medical inventions: Turning smart ideas into useful health care devices ?Great physician innovation story with a product that many could benefit from.
26. MATERIALISE SHOWCASING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS AT FORMNEXT 2023 TO TRANSFORM 3D PRINTING ?Ansys has a wide moat because of its pervasive academic ties. A playbook Materialise may be considered to use. Investing in a young intelligent population has a high margin of error. Overall, this partnership is a good thing for existing consumers.?
27. Holo releases H200 True to CAD metal 3D printer ?Here is how DLP metal 3D printing works according to HOLO , “Holo starts with a proprietary slurry of MIM powder and photoresistive polymer binder. Parts are built layer-by-layer with high-resolution, high-throughput optical printers developed by Holo. The resulting “green state” parts are then baked in a sintering oven to remove all traces of binder, resulting in highly pure final parts with qualities approaching bulk material.” It is a competitive but not a zero-sum game, especially with material innovation and specialty training. (See below)
28. NIH diversity grant to fund student’s 3D bioprinting research ?I believe this is the grant: Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (Admin Supp Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
29. Vy Spine scores FDA clearance for spinal fusion device .?Newly approved implant combining new materials and design.
30. OVNO Continues Developing Breakthrough Treatments Maybe the ultimate path for many bioprinting startups is new therapeutics developments.
31. RCSI Spearheads Innovative 3D Bioprinting Project with EIC Funding ? The €2.9 million from EIC will focus on the lung bioprinting project first.
32. 3D Systems Receives FDA Clearance for NextDent? Base ?I remember a presentation at 3DHEALS2018 many years ago from Dr. Valerie Cooper about the dire state of edentulous patients. “According to the Americal Association of Endodontists, there was about a 6% reimbursement decline between 2013-2017. Of seventeen percent of U.S. adults older than 65, only fifteen percent of the population have dentures. Additionally, the edentulous population often overlaps with populations with lower socioeconomic status and poor overall health.” (3DEHALS dental guide ) Therefore, the true impact of 3D-printed dentures could be significantly larger than the market size. Having functional teeth impacts not just the dental industry but the consumer industry, just like how Ozempic impacts the food industry .
33. To Assist In Double Hip Replacement Surgery ?The first 3DHEALS event in 2024 will focus on veterinarian medicine using 3D printing. We hope to have Dr. Saunders or his team as a speaker.?
34. All?the?News?from?FORMNEXT 2023: The?Complete Round-Up?of?New?3D Printers?and Full ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING ECOSYSTEM Large shows like these are intimidating to introverts like me. Still, I appreciate this good enough summary from the 3DPrintingIndustry team. Don’t expect to learn much business intelligence without actually showing up in person or virtually.
35. Application of 3D Printing Insole by Hemodynamics in Older Patients with Critical Limb Ischemia: Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial ?Innovative idea, I am waiting to see the study results.?
36. New wound healing research by Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine produces full-thickness human bioprinted skin .?Update from the Atala lab. The original publication is here .?
37. Cutting-edge bioprinter redefines biofabrication .?A new STL data output encoding method called ?Graphical Rectangular Actual Positional Encoding (GRAPE UK?) could up the game for FDM bioprinters. While I am no engineer, it seems that there may be other ways to improve 3D printing beyond the familiar triangular mesh, as mentioned in our recent virtual event by Elissa Ross from Metafold 3D.
38. Nexa3D launches Nexa AI platform to optimise workflow of XiP Pro 3D printing system ?
39. OQTON Unveils AI-Powered Build Quality Solution for Additive Manufacturing ?3D printing has an advantage over many traditional manufacturing methods by having more data. ML/AI advancement is a must.?
40. Cognitive Design Systems Secure €2M to Propel Generative Design Platform Forward ?Looking forward to seeing more Generative Design software startups in the 3D printing space. A lack of quality data is one of the biggest hurdles, especially in healthcare.?
41. This 3D printer can watch itself fabricate objects Impressive, 660 times faster with multimaterial and hands-free.
42. 3D Printing Could Build Tissues within Body ? A confluence of recent advancements in biomaterials, acoustic bioprinting, and medical applications. Early-stage research progress to keep an eye on.?
43. Scientists 3D print self-heating microfluidic devices ?A genius way to create the next generation of microfluidics devices using 3D printing with new materials that were not available previously. Major science advancements are often the result of small smart steps like these. Check out our latest event focusing on Microfluidics.?
44. FRESH? 3D bioprinted cardiac tissue, a bioengineered platform for?in vitro?pharmacology ?The latest exciting publication from a leading 3D bioprinting cardiac tissue company, also a Pitch3D startup, focusing on. Here is the official press release from the company. The article pdf download is here .
45. A.D.A.M. and the Masovian Regional Hospital Launch Facility Construction to Treat the Victims of Russia's War on Ukraine ?Latest news from Pitch3D startup A.D.A.M.
46. Pelvic organ prolapse pioneer gets funding to find a fix.?The pelvis floor could be perfect for an implantable mesh, 3D bioprinting, and MELT electrowriting and electrospinning. Here is an article in 2019 featuring Dr Shayanti Mukherjee’s work.?
47. Why the Long View Favors AM: Manufacturers at Each Step Face a Choice to Rely Less on Tooling ?Typically negative posts garner more attention in media, but here is a positive long-term perspective on the future of 3D printing by Peter Zleinski, editor-in-chief of Additive Manufacturing.?
48. Is 3D Printing Hazardous for Your Health? Researchers from University of Texas Weigh In ?Another recent research focusing on the fumes. The original publication is here .
49. CollPlant Biotechnologies Begins Preclinical Trial with Commercial-Size, Regenerative Breast Implants 3D bioprinted breast implants are on the radar for quite a few startups. It is good that we are finally getting some real (expensive) data.?
50. BIO INX Is Our Startup of the Year 2023 .?Bio Inx is one of Many existing and upcoming bioink startups. This field is heating up and is the area for attention for 2024.

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