ON THIS EPISODE OF CYCLE OF HEALTH, NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN HEALTHCARE.

JOIN US AS WE TRAVEL ACROSS NEW YORK STATE DISCOVERING THE LATEST IN SURGICAL SYSTEMS, NEW, MINIMALLY INVASIVE, IMPLANTABLE DEVICES, AND A ROBOT SIMPLIFYING KNEE REPLACEMENTS.

THEN, LEARN HOW RESEARCHERS AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY ARE STUDYING BIOMATERIALS TO ONE DAY 3D PRINT HUMAN ORGANS.

COMING UP ON "CYCLE OF HEALTH."

HELLO AND WELCOME TO CYCLE OF HEALTH, I'M DOCTOR RICH O'NEILL.

ON TONIGHT'S SHOW, WE'RE TAKING YOU ACROSS THE STATE HIGHLIGHTING NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN HEALTHCARE.

WE START IN ITHACA WHERE SURGEONS USE THE WORLD'S MOST ADVANCED ROBOTIC SURGICAL SYSTEM, THE DA VINCI XI SURGICAL SYSTEM.

THEN TO ROCHESTER, WHERE CARDIOLOGISTS FIX LEAKY HEART VALVES WITH A DEVICE AS SMALL AS A DIME.

NEXT, A RURAL HOSPITAL IN HAMILTON, NEW YORK TO MEET A DOC USING A STATE-OF-THE-ART ROBOT TO SIMPLIFY KNEE REPLACEMENT.

AND FINALLY, BACK HOME SYRACUSE WHERE ACADEMICS AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY ARE DEVELOPING METHODS TO 3D PRINT ORGANS.

SO, SIT BACK, RELAX, AND YES, THAT'S RIGHT, 3D PRINT ORGANS SO SIT BACK, RELAX AND DISCOVER THE NEWEST HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGIES RIGHT HERE IN OUR OWN BACKYARD.

>> GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY.

HOW IS EVERYBODY.

>> GOOD.

>> I WANTED TO THANK BOCES, THE FACULTY ADMINISTRATION AND YOU STUDENTS FOR COMING OUT AND EXPRESSING INTEREST ON OUR NEW SURGICAL PLATFORM.

THIS IS A BIG DAY FOR THE MEDICAL CENTER.

THE SOLE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL FOR CAYUGA COUNTY, HIGH QUALITY, COST CONSCIOUS CARE FOR ALL THE RESIDENTS IN THAT REGION AND BEYOND.

THE XI SURGICAL PLATFORM IS A TOOL THAT SKILLED SURGEONS USE TO TREAT SELECTED PATIENTS IN A LESSON BASIS AND HIGHER TECHNOLOGY WAY.

SO THE CAMERA WITH MY LEFT FOOT PEDAL ALLOWS ME TO MOVE AWAY.

>> THE PLATFORM ALLOWS LESS MORBIDITY FOR SURGERIES THAT ARE NEEDED, LESS BLEEDING, LOWER LENGTH OF STAY, LESS PAIN MEDICATION REQUIREMENT, AND ALLOWS BETTER VISUALIZATION AND IN THE MOMENT DECISION MAKING.

(LOTS OF BACKGROUND NOISE."

>> WE RECOGNIZE IT WAS DEMANDED BY THE COMMUNITY.

PATIENTS WERE LOOKING FOR THE ROBOTIC OPTION WHEN THEY NEEDED A PARTICULAR KIND OF SURGERY.

IN THE SAME WAY, OUR MEDICAL STAFF WAS INTERESTED IN THIS EMERGING TECHNOLOGY.

AND SO THE TIME WAS RIGHT.

THERE WERE INTERESTED PARTIES IN DIFFERENT SPECIALTIES.

>> IT'S INCREDIBLY ACCURATE.

VERY PRECISE, NO MOVEMENT, NO TREMONTOR.

IT'S VERY STEADY.

THE MOVEMENTS ARE GREATER THAN HUMAN HANDS SO ALL ANGLES AND VISUALIZATION IS THERE.

>> AND MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGEON AND THIS IS MY 18th YEAR HERE.

THE IDEAS OF MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERY, GOING INSIDE THE BODY, THE ABDOMEN SPECIFICALLY THROUGH SMALL INCISIONS WITH A CAMERA IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON IN OUR CENTER SINCE THE 1990s.

THE BENEFIT OF THE DAVINCI DEVICE IS IT GIVES US A VISION THAT'S NOW THREE DIMENSIONAL AND GIVES US THE ABILITY TO MOVE THE INSTRUMENTS LIKE WE MOVE OUR HANDS BUT IN A MINIATURIZED FORM.

REALLY IT'S JUST AN EXTENSION OF WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING ALL ALONG HERE BUT WE SEE BEING APPLICABLE TO LOTS OF DIFFERENT OPERATIONS.

>> WE WANT THE PEOPLE AND QUALITY OF A MILLION PERSON CITY.

>> IT HAS BEEN USED ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK NOW AND THE GOAL IS TO BE USING IT EVERY SINGLE DAY WHEN THE OPERATING ROOM IS OPEN FOR ALL SURGERIES, GENERAL SURGERY, WOMEN'S HEALTH GYNECOLOGY AND UROLOGY.

THE RISK IS USUALLY THE SAME BUT THE ADVANTAGE IS MAYBE IMPROVED OUTCOMES WITH LESS INFECTION RATES.

NEARLY HAVING A ROBOT DOES NOT MEAN THE OPERATION IS GOING TO SUDDENLY GET ANY BETTER.

IF YOU ARE NOT AN ADEQUATELY TRAINED SURGEON, IF YOU ARE NOT SOMEBODY WHO IS CAPABLE OF DOING THE OPERATION IN THE FIRST PLACE, IF THAT DOESN'T CHANGE IT.

THERE ARE SOME THINGS WHERE WE HAVE TO AGAIN RELY ON THE JUDGMENT OF THE SURGEONS TO SAY THIS IS THE PROPER THING TO DO AND THIS IS WHEN WE ARE GOING TO DO.

>> IN THE ITHACA AREA, WE ARE ONLY HOSPITAL DOING THIS.

IT IS PRESENT IN OTHER CITIES AROUND US BUT I WOULD QUICKLY EMPHASIZE THAT OUR MISSION IS TO ALLOW PATIENTS TO HAVE THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY WITHOUT TRAVELING TO DISAT THAT PARTICULAR TIME CITIES.

>> SHOW YOU SOME OF THE STUFF THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE WHAT IT'S LIKE TO SEE IN SURGERY.

AND THE ABILITY TO ZOOM IN.

>> EARLIER TODAY WE PRESENTED TO MANY DOZENS OF OF BOCES STUDENTS AND THE ENTHUSIASM WAS INFECTIOUS IN THE ROOM.

MANY HAVE INTEREST IN BEING HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AND THEY SAW THEMSELVES THROUGH THE EYES OF THE SURGEONS IN DIRECT CARE OF THE PATIENT BUT OTHER PEOPLE IN THE ROOM WERE INTERESTED IN THE CODING OR MANUFACTURING OR PERVEYANCE OF THE TECHNOLOGY AND THERE ARE SO MANY FACETS TO THIS PROJECT.

THERE WAS A LOT OF EYES OPEN TO CAREERS IN HEALTHCARE AND WE TRIED TO MAKE THAT POINT AND I THINK IT WAS WELL RECEIVED.

>> I'M FREDERICK LINK, DIRECTOR OF THE CATHETERIZATION LABORATORY AT THE ROCHESTER MEDICAL CENTER.

MICROREGURGITATION IS LEAKINESS OF ONE OF THE HEART VALVES.

THERE ARE FOUR HEART VALVES IN THE HUMAN HEART, THE MITRAL VALVE CONNECTS THE UPPER CHAMBER ON THE LEFT SIDE TO THE LOWER PUMPING CHAMBER ON THE LEFT SIDE.

PREVENTS BLOOD FROM GOING BACKWARDS FROM THE PUMPING CHAMBER INTO THE COLLECTION CHAMBER.

THIS IS THE UPPER CHAMBER OF THE HEART, THE LEFT ATRIUM AND THIS IS THE LOWER PUMPING, THE LEFT VENTRICLE.

CONNECTING THE TWO IS THIS MITRAL VALVE HERE WHICH LOOKS LIKE A STRUCTURE WITH VERY FINE CHORDS, ALMOST LOOKS LIKE A PARACHUTE AND OPENS AND CLOSES LIKE THIS.

WHEN IT IS CLOSED, THE TWO LEAFLETS OF THE MITRAL VALVE, TOUCH EACH OTHER AND WHEN IT IS OPEN, IT POPS OPEN LIKE THAT.

THE HEART MUSCLE SQUEEZING HERE AND NORMALLY THESE TWO VALVE LEAFLETS, IT TOUCHES AND NOTHING GOES BACKWARDS.

AS YOU CAN SEE IN THIS IMAGE HERE, YOU CAN SEE THE LEAFLETS DON'T TOUCH AT ALL AND THERE IS A GAP AND THROUGH THE GAP BLOOD SHOULD GO OUT THROUGH THE OTHER VALVE, THE AORTIC VALVE RIGHT HERE AND BLOOD GOES TO THE LEFT ATRIUM TO THE VENTRICLE AND PUMPS IT OUT HERE AND IN THIS CASE HERE, THE LEAFLETS ARE NOT TOUCHING AT ALL AND BLOOD LEAK CAN BACKWARDS AND IT'S SHOWN RIGHT HERE.

THE MITRAL VALVE IN PARTICULAR, IF IT IS SEVERE ENOUGH, WILL EVENTUALLY CAUSE WHAT WE CALL HEART FAILURE; WHERE EVENTUALLY PEOPLE BECOME VERY SHORT OF BREATH BECAUSE THE PRESSURES INSIDE THE HEARTth GO UP AND THAT'S TRANSMITTED TO THE LUNGS AND PEOPLE FEEL LIKE IN THE WORST CASE, LIKE THEY'RE DROWNING.

SO I WOULD SAY THAT PROBABLY THE STATISTICS ARE THAT BY THE TIME YOU ARE P 5, ONE IN 10 ADULTS-- BY THE TIME ARE 75, ONE IN 10 WILL HAVE THIS.

MITRAL CLIP IS ANOTHER TOOL IN HOW WE TREAT VALVE DISEASE.

WE HAVE A TOOL FOR THOSE PARTICULAR PATIENTS WHERE POTENTIALLY WE CAN USE A PARTICULAR DEVICE.

WE DON'T HAVE TO GO TO HEART TRANSPLANT OR IN CASES WHERE PATIENTS ARE NOT EVEN CANDIDATES FOR THOSE KIND OF THERAPIES, IT GIVES THEM ANOTHER AVENUE OF THERAPY OTHER THAN SAYING CAN'T DO ANYTHING FOR YOU.

>> WITH THE MITRAL CLIP, IT IS A LESS INVASIVE PROCEDURE WHERE THERE IS NO REAL INCISIONS DONE.

DONE THROUGH THE LEG VEIN.

WE GO UP TO THE HEART THROUGH THE LEG VEIN AND THROUGH ECHO GUIDANCE ABLE TO POSITION THAT AND DELIVER THE MITRAL CLIPS AND BY THE END OF THE PROCEDURE, ALL YOU HAVE IS LIKE TWO BAND-AIDS POTENTIALLY ON YOUR GROIN AFTER THE END OF THE PROCEDURE.

>> WE WITH GO FROM THE LEG, GO ACROSS THIS AND OPEN UP THE ARMS LIKE THIS, GRAB IT, GRIP THE LEAFLETS AND ONCE WE GRIP THE LEAFLETS, CLOSE THE CLIP ARMS AND THAT WOULD HAVE THE TWO LEAFLETS COME TOGETHER AND THEY WOULD BE CLOSER TOGETHER SO THAT THAT LEAKINESS WOULD BE REDUCED.

IN THE UNITED STATES, REALLY WAS NOT APPROVED FOR THE INDICATION OF SO CALLED FUNCTIONAL OR SECONDARY MITRAL REGURGITATION AND THE FDA APPROVED IT IN MARCH OF 2019 AFTER THE TRIAL WAS IN SEPTEMBER OF 2018.

SEVERAL THOUSAND SAND PATIENTS HAD THAT BUT IN THE REST OF THE WORLD, LIKE EUROPE, FOR EXAMPLE, IT WAS USED FOR FUNCTIONAL MITRAL REGURGITATION, SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND HAVE HAD THE PROCEDURE ALREADY.

IN UPSTATE NEW YORK, BUFFALO IS DOING IT, SYRACUSE IS DOING IT AND LOCALLY IN TOWN, ROCHESTER GENERAL HOSPITAL IS ALSO DOING IT.

>> I THINK YOU KNOW, THE WAY I SEE THINGS MOVING FORWARD, I DIRECT THE CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION LAB AND THE STRUCTURAL HEART PROGRAM.

WHAT IS A STRUCTURAL HEART PROGRAM?

IT MEANS THAT ANY STRUCTURE OF THE HEART THAT IS ABNORMAL CAN DEVISE WAYS TO TREAT IT WITHOUT THE NEED FOR MAXIMAL INVASIVE SURGERY.

AND I THINK WE ARE SEEING A LOT MORE TECHNOLOGY COME ALONG WHERE NOW WE ARE PUTTING IN HEART VALVES WITHOUT THE NEED FOR OPEN HEART SURGERY.

NOW WE ARE REPAIRING THE MITRAL VALVES WITHOUT OPEN HEART SURGERY AND I THINK WE ARE SEEING MORE AND MORE OF THIS FOR THE FUTURE.

AND IT REALLY IS A ROSIE THING.

>> MY NAME IS Dr. ROCHELLE TECNADO.

DIRECTOR AT THE COMMUNITY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL.

COMMUNITY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL IS A SMALL RURAL HOSPITAL IN HAMILTON, NEW YORK.

WE SERVE APPROXIMATELY FOUR COUNTIES WITH 47,000 PEOPLE: THE ROBOTICS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME IN ORTHOPEDICS BUT THIS PARTICULAR ROBOT IS THE LATEST AND GREATEST ROBOTIC SYSTEM FOR TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY THAT WE HAVE IN THE WORLD.

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT THAN ITS PREDECESSORS IS THAT IT PROVIDES MORE PRECISION AND ACCURACY IN DOING A TOTAL JOINT, ALSO THAT KNEE ARTHROPLASTIES THAT WE DO ARE PERSONALIZED SPECIFICALLY TO THE PATIENT SO THE ROBOT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE PATIENT'S LEG AMOUNT AS ROUND THE KNEE, THE MUSCLE BALANCE AROUND THE KNEE AND MAXIMIZES THE STABILITY OF THE KNEE ARTHROPLASTY THROUGHOUT THE RANGE OF MOTION.

SO THIS IS MY ROBOT.

WE NICKNAMED HER DORY AFTER MY FIRST PATIENT, SO LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ROBOT.

THERE IS A DISPOSABLE SENSOR THAT ATTACHES HERE.

IT COMMUNICATES WITH THE MAIN COMPUTER AND MY SAW ATTACHES HERE AND THE SAW MAKES THE BONY CUTS WHEN WE ARE DOING THE ARTHROPLASTY SURGERY SO PRIOR TO STARTING THE SURGERY THIS LAW IS ATTACHED TO THE BED AND IT'S MY SYSTEM.

IT STANDS RIGHT NEXT TO ME, ATTACHED TO THE BED.

THE MAIN COMPUTER READS THE SENSORS ATTACHED TO THE SAWS.

I TAKE THE KNEE THROUGH A RANGE OF MOTION AND THE COMPUTER THEN GENERATES A 3D MODEL OF WHAT THE PATIENT' KNEE WOULD LOOK LIKE WITH A KNEE ARTHROPLASTY IMPLANT IN THERE.

THEN WE TELL THE SAW, OKAY, WE ARE READY TO START AND IT GOES ZZZ, ZZZ.

AND PUTS THE SAW IN THE PLAIN THAT OUR CUTS NEED TO MAKE AND IT'S MY HAND USING THE SAW TO MAKE THESE BONY CUTS.

>> STARTED HAVING DISCOMFORT IN MY KNEES ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO AND GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE.

MY KNEE PAIN HAS GOT SO BAD THAT EVERYDAY LIFE, WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING, IT'S LIKE UH.

AND YOU GET GOING AND AS TIME GOES ON, YOU DON'T GET UP AS EARLY AS THE DAIRY FARMER.

HAVE YOU TO GET UP.

YOU DON'T GET UP AS EARLY IN THE MORNING AND AS THE DAY GOES ON, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT YOU DO AND IT GETS OVERLOOKED BECAUSE YOU ARE IN PAIN.

JUST THE QUALITY OF YOUR LIFE ISN'T GOOD AT ALL.

THE DOCTOR CAME IN AND SAID I WOULD BE DOING YOUR SURGERY WITH A ROBOT.

I SAID WHERE DO YOU DO THAT?

LIKE SYRACUSE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT THAT?

SHE SAID NO, COMMUNITY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL.

WE HAVE ONE RIGHT THERE.

AND BEING WITH A ROBOT.

I LOOK FORWARD TO IT BECAUSE I FIGURED IT WOULD BE A BETTER SURGERY THAN TRADITIONAL SURGERY BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO BE GETTING FEELING BETTER LESS INVASIVE.

YOU CAN GET BACK TO DOING WHAT I WAS DOING SOONER.

>> ESSENTIALLY, THE SURGERY IS SIMILAR TO A TRADITIONAL KNEE REPLACEMENT IN THAT IT'S THE SAME APPROACH TO THE KNEE.

SO THE INCISIONS ARE NOT SMALLER.

THE POST-OP PAIN PROTOCOL IS SIMILAR TO A TRADITIONAL KNEE.

BUT THE MAJORITY-- AND WHEN I SAY MAJORITY, APPROXIMATELY 80% OF TOTAL KNEES GO HOME ON THE SAME DAY.

YOU ARE ABLE TO PUT WEIGHT ON IT AND WALK IMMEDIATELY AFTER SURGERY.

>> THE THERAPIST COMES IN TO REMIND YOU TO WALK AFTER THE SURGERY.

THEY BROUGHT A WALKER IN AND I WALKED TO THE BATHROOM.

CAME BACK AND SAT DOWN.

SHE SAID I WANT YOU TO GO UP THE STAIRS.

IF YOU CAN WALK THE STAIRS, YOU CAN GO HOME.

IT WAS LIKE 3:00, 4:00 IN THE AFTERNOON I WAS UP WALKING ON THE WALKER.

>> WE FIRST STARTED DOING ROBOTIC SURGERY IN MARCH AND SO FAR WE HAVE PUT IN APPROXIMATELY 40 KNEES.

SO I WAS THE FIRST FEMALE IN THE WORLD TO USE THE ROBOT.

THE FIRST ONE TO BRING IT TO NEW YORK STATE.

THAT'S JUST A NUMBERS GAME.

THERE ARE NOT A LOT OF FEMALES IN ORTHOPEDICS, PARTICULARLY DOING ARTHROPLASTY.

MY HEART HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN RURAL MEDICINE.

I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO WORK OUT IN THE COUNTRY SOMEWHERE AND BRING THE HEALTHCARE THAT PATIENTS HAVE IN THE CITY TO SOME PLACE RURAL.

>> THE PAIN I EXPERIENCED BEFORE THE SURGERY, THE NEXT DAY THE PAIN WAS GONE AND THAT'S A HARD THING TO EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE.

THE END OF THE THIRD WEEK, I WAS WAS BACK DOING THINGS ON MY FARM, TOO.

>> PATIENTS WANT THIS.

THEY SEEK IT OUT.

I THINK THAT THE LONGER WE DO THIS, THE MORE PATIENTS ARE GOING TO WANT THIS BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO SEE THEIR NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND HOW WELL THEY'RE DOING WITH THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY.

>> THE IMAGE THE UPPER LEFT IS BASICALLY LUNG SAC.

THE AIR SACKS ARE SOUNDED SUR ROUNDED BY A NETWORK OF BLOOD VESSELS.

THE SIZE OF THESE INVEST WILLS-- VESSELS IN THE PRINTED OBJECT IS 200-MICRONS SO SLIGHTLY BIGGER THAN THE WIDTH OF YOUR AIR.

I'M AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF BIO MEDICAL ENGINEERING.

IN MY LAB, WE ARE TRYING TO LOOK AT HOW ARE THEY MADE.

CAN I TAKE MINERALS AND PROTEINS AND ARRANGE THEM IN 3D WAYS FROM NANOMICRO AND MACRO AND IF I COMBINE ALL OF THEM, CAN WE ACHIEVE OR GET NEW SMART-- ALL BIO MEDICAL IS TRYING TO DO THE SAME THING.

CAN WE MIMIC NATURE IN SOME WAY?

AND BIO MEDICAL SMALL SCALE ORGANS OR IMPLANTS OR THINGS LIKE THAT.

>> BIO MATERIALS ARE MATERIALS THAT ARE EITHER MADE OUT OF BIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS, THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, SHARK SKIN MIGHT BE MADE OUT OF OR MATERIALS THAT WE MAKE THAT ARE SOMEHOW COMPATIBLE WITH BEING IN OR TOUCHING A LIVING ORGANISM.

>> SO BIO MATERIALS CAN BE FOUND EVERYWHERE.

FOR EXAMPLE, IF I TAKE A SMALL PIECE OF YOUR SKIN, YOU WILL HAVE BIO MATERIALS SUCH AS COLLAGEN LIKE THE MOST COMMONLY FOUND BIO MATERIAL FOUND INSIDE THE HUMAN BODY.

>> YEAH, SO HERE YOU ARE LOOKING AT WHAT USED TO BE, UNTIL A FEW YEARS AGO, THE WORLD'S SMALLEST ORIGAMI BIRD AND THE WORLD'S SMALLEST SELF FOLDING ORIGAMI BIRD.

IT'S A TINY PINK SPECK NEXT TO THE GRAIN OF RICE.

WHAT IT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOU ZOOM IN ON A MICROSCOPE IS THIS THING.

THIS IS CALL THE RANDLET FLAPPING BIRD AND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT HERE IS A MOVIE OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOU BASICALLY PUT THE BIRD IN WATER AND GET IT TO FOLD UP INTO THIS THREE DIMENSIONAL GEOMETRY.

SO A SMART MATERIAL IS KIND OF CATCH ALL TERM FOR MATERIALS THAT WE CAN PROGRAM, MATERIALS THAT WE CAN DESIGN TO HAVE THE KINDS OF PROPERTIES WE WANT AND IN SOME CASES ACTUALLY MATERIALS THAT CAN DO SOME SIMPLE PROCESSING.

>> WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO MAKE SMART MATERIALS IN THE WAY NATURE IS ABLE TO MAKE.

BONE IS VERY SMART AND VERY LIGHT.

MAN IS NOT ABLE TO MAKE ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

IF YOU GO TO THE GYM AND START LIFTING WEIGHTS.

AFTER TWO MONTHS, THE BONE GROWS IN MASS.

IT KNOWS IT HAS EXTRA MECHANICAL TASKS THAT HAS TO BE CARRIED OUT AND IT GROWS IN MASS.

MAN IS NOT ABLE TO DO THAT.

>> IN HEALTH AND MEDICINE, SMART MATERIALS CAN BE USED IN SURGERY WHERE YOU MIGHT WANT TO HAVE A MATERIAL THAT GOES IN IN A VERY COMPACT STATE AND THEN YOU CAN OPEN UP.

SO THERE ARE EXAMPLES OF ORIGAMI HEART STENTS THAT YOU CAN INSERT IN A REALLY COMPACT WAY THAT WILL THEN OPEN UP AND SUPPORT ARTERIES.

>> SO MY RESEARCH EVOLVES AROUND 3D PRINTING AND BIO PRINTING.

THIS IS AGAIN PEOPLE PRINT THE SAME IDEA.

THE SAME WAY THE PROJECTOR TAKES OUR SLIDES AND ZOOMS OUT, PROJECTS IT ALL OVER THE WALL, IN THIS CASE, WEE SECTIONALLY ZOOM IT THE SAME LIGHT AND ZOOM IT IN SO WE CAN MAKE SMALL SCALE THINGS.

CHRIS IN PHYSICS TELLS ME WHAT I SHOULD PRINT BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT IF YOU PRINT THIS, IT WILL BECOME THIS.

THE KINDS OF INFRASTRUCTURES THAT WE WORK ON FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE CAN BE AS BIG OR SMALL AS YOU WANT.

THE PRINCIPLES BEHIND THEM WORK AT ANY SCALE.

MOST OF THE MATERIALS THAT ARE RELATED TO HEALTH ARE QUITE A BIT SMALLER ESSENTIALLY, A MILLIMETER SIZE OR SMALLER.

>> IF TECHNOLOGY WORKS, WE WANT TO BRING LARGE SCALE ORGANS AND REPLACE THEM.

>> AT THE END OF THE DAY THOUGH WE ARE STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO DO ALL OF THIS STUFF.

BIOLOGY DOES AMAZING THINGS THAT NONE OF WHICH WE CAN REPRODUCE YET.

>> IF YOU LOOK AT THE ORGAN SHORTAGES.

THE GAP BETWEEN HOW MANY ORGANS WE NEED AND HOW MANY WE HAVE IS INCREASING.

THAT GAP CAN'TING SOLVED RIGHT NOW.

>> THE IDEA IS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND HOW BIOLOGY DOES THESE THINGS AND THEN FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN DO IT OURSELVES AND THE THIRD STEP AFTER THAT IS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THEM CHEAPLY ENOUGH THAT THEY'RE ECONOMICALLY VIABLE.

>> IT ALMOST LIKE SPARE PARTS.

TOMORROW YOU INTO ED A NEW HEART, WE PRINT YOU A NEW HEART.

20 YEARS AGO OR 10 YEARS AGO, THIS WAS A BIG FLASHY NEWS ABOUT ORGAN PRINTING.

BUT AS WE SORT OF WENT INTO THE DEPTH OF THE PROBLEM, ANY NEW BUZZ WORD, THERE IS A LOT OF HYPE AND THEN IT WILL CRASH BUT THEN SLOWLY AGAIN GOES UP TO SOMETHING THAT IS REAL WE ARE ON THE PART WHERE IT COULD BECOME SOMETHING VERY REAL.

>> THAT'S ALL THE TIME WE HAVE BUT WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED LEARNING ABOUT THE LATEST IN HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE PRIOR EPISODES FROM THIS SEASON PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE, WCNY.ORG/CYCLEOFHEALTH AND CLICK ON THE SEASON 14 TAB.

YOU CAN ALSO FIND EPISODES FROM PREVIOUS SEASONS AND OUR WEB SERIES, CHECKUP FROM OUR NECK UP.

FOR CYCLE OF HEALTH, I'M PSYCHOLOGIST DOCTOR RICH O'NEILL.

THANKS FOR CHECKING IN.

ON THE NEXT CYCLE OF HEALTH, SYRACUSE HEALTHY START.

JOIN US AT THE ROSAMOND GIFFORD ZOO FOR SYRACUSE STROLL, A COMMUNITY EVENT HELPING FAMILIES RAISE HAPPY AND HEALTHY BABIES.

THEN HEAR FROM A TEAM OF HEALTH EXPERTS WORKING TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF MOMS, BABIES, AND FAMILIES RIGHT HERE IN ONONDAGA COUNTY.

OH BABY THIS IS ONE YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS.

NEXT TIME ON THE SEASON FINALE OF CYCLE OF HEALTH.