The Lattice (Official 3DHEALS Podcast)

Episode #105 | Jan 2026 News: ARPA-H Organ "Moonshots", Point-of-Care Manufacturing, and More

We track a month of fast-moving news in healthcare 3D printing, from organ-scale bioprinting programs and ARPA-H’s funding model to point-of-care tools already entering clinics. The throughline is clear: vascularization, immune compatibility, and scale are converging with real-world deployment.• UT Southwestern’s organoid-plus-bioprinting strategy for durable liver tissue• Carnegie Mellon’s consortium on vascularization, immune control, and scale• ARPA-H’s moonshot funding model is accelerating medical innovation• Aspect Biosystems and Novo Nordisk’s bet on curing diabetes• Cost shift from chronic management to curative therapies• Near-term point-of-care printing: Curify Labs and AZORG integrations• Key milestone to watch: functional vascular networks• Outlook as research, industry, and funding alignRemember, this podcast is for educational and informational purposes onlyThe views expressed do not constitute engineering, medical, or financial advice. The technologies and procedures discussed may not be commercially available or suitable for every case. Always consult with a qualified professionalShownotes: https://3dheals.com/lattice-news-arpa-h-organ-moonshots-point-of-care-manufacturing-and-more/Send us a textSupport the showSubscribe to our premium version and support the show. Follow us: Twitter Instagram Linkedin 3DHEALS WebsiteFacebookFacebook GroupYoutube channelAbout Pitch3D

Episode #104| 3DHEALS2026 JP Morgan San Francisco (Live Recording) - Invest in 3D

A crowded JP Morgan week can blur into noise, so we built a quieter stage to focus on what actually moves healthcare forward: 3D software‑planned care, on‑demand manufacturing, and proof that patients and payers can feel. Recorded live in San Francisco, this special episode brings founders and investors together to show how 3D data and advanced manufacturing are turning personalization into a scalable, measurable reality.We start with a rare blueprint for value in spine surgery: virtual planning, patient‑specific 3D printed implants, and post‑op analytics that cut two‑year reoperations by 74% while compressing lead times from eight weeks to eight days. From there, the conversation widens fast. Hear how microarray patches with five‑micron precision enable co‑delivery without co‑formulation and factory‑level scale; how therapeutic hardware draws on bone biology to reduce revisions; how personalized pessaries bring dental‑style business models to women’s health; and how drill‑free, patient‑specific dental implants fit in six days without a single turn of a drill.We also explore the frontier where human recovery meets robotics. A single bionic hand platform serves amputees and humanoid robots, translating human manipulation data into industrial automation while staying Medicare‑covered. On the R&D side, vascularized tissues and cryobioprinted models aim to fix translational failure by making complex biology reproducible and shippable. Structural biopolymer fibers unlock sutures, meshes, and sports medicine implants with clean‑room scale. A countertop system automates cell therapy final formulation so community hospitals can treat more patients safely. And a new biomanufacturing approach targets IVIG supply constraints by achieving human‑like B‑cell densities in ultrafast 3D printed bioreactors. We close with high‑viscosity inkjet that prints materials traditional jets can’t, powering durable dental parts and microneedle patches at true production speeds.Along the way, an investor panel compares notes on 2026: where exits might return, where non‑dilutive capital is shifting, and what it now takes to earn a check—clear end‑user value, defensible tech, and a distribution edge. If you care about medtech, bioprinting, cell and gene therapy delivery, or the future of personalized care, this is your field guide to what’s working right now.If this conversation sparks new ideas or a partnership you want to pursue, subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a quick review telling us which breakthrough you want to hear more about.Event speaker biographies: https://3dheals.com/life-in-3d-investing-in-the-next-frontier/On-Demand Video (Pending publication): https://3dheals.com/courses/Pitch 3D Application link: https://3dheals.com/pitch3d/Send us a textSupport the showSubscribe to our premium version and support the show. Follow us: Twitter Instagram Linkedin 3DHEALS WebsiteFacebookFacebook GroupYoutube channelAbout Pitch3D

Episode #103 | Design for Medical 3D Technology (Virtual Event)

Healthcare 3D printing is moving fast, and design is leading the way. In this episode, we explore how advanced CAD, simulation, and automation are enabling patient-specific implants, multi-material tissue-like structures, AI-powered prosthetics, and fully custom pediatric seating. Beyond the printer, human-centered design and smart workflows are turning ideas into devices that improve patient care. We start with the biology. Orthopedic engineer Matthew Shomper of Not a Robot Engineering, LatticeRobot, and Allumin8 explains why stress shielding sets up decades of problems and shows how patient-specific scaffolds can be generated in minutes. Analyze intact versus defect states, compare strain fields, and synthesize a topology- and strain-matched lattice tuned to a person’s real loading. Swap patterns, change valency, target grafting, and even plan for resorbable polymers as bone fills in. It is a shift from “stronger” to “more biologically honest.”Then we open the toolbox. With volumetric and implicit design approaches explored by Rob MacCurdy at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Matter Assembly Computation Lab, design moves from surfaces to functions that define geometry, material, and behavior together. Think functional grading across a dogbone, gyroids blended between materials, or lattice struts whose composition varies along their length to steer buckling. The same logic can drive multiple printers and processes, enabling surgical models and tissue-like parts that span from soft to structural in a single build.The payoff comes at the point of care. In prosthetics, comfort is the foundation. Joshua Steer, Founder and CEO of Radii Devices, shows how data-driven rectification gives clinicians an informed starting point they can refine. Nathan Shirley of HP explains how automation turns that interface into a robust, production-ready socket with a single request. No brittle CAD models. No days in design. And in pediatric seating, Alexander Geht of Testa-Seat shows how lightweight, water-cleanable, fully custom supports help children eat with family, attend school, and travel without a van full of gear.Validation, reimbursement, and regulation still lag behind what is technically possible. But with open toolchains, integrated simulation, and outcomes data, patient-specific devices are moving from heroic one-offs to dependable care. Subscribe, share this with a clinician or engineer who should hear it, and tell us the one custom device you wish existed. What would you build next?Video On Demand Send us a textSupport the showSubscribe to our premium version and support the show. Follow us: Twitter Instagram Linkedin 3DHEALS WebsiteFacebookFacebook GroupYoutube channelAbout Pitch3D

Episode #102 | Can Bioprinting Reshape The Future of Immunology?

We explore how to move IVIG from donor scarcity to on‑demand manufacturing with tissue‑engineered bioreactors, and why that shift could lower costs, expand access, and improve consistency. We dig into polyclonal advantages, regulatory guardrails, scaling plans, and what success would mean for complex biologics beyond antibodies.• Defining a bioreactor that recreates human tissue niches• Why polyclonal IVIG remains essential across 100+ conditions• Limits of donor‑dependent plasma supply and regional variability• Complex therapeutics as a new manufacturing category• Cost targets of 10–100x reduction and CapEx shrink• Coffee‑cup reactors and near‑term validation milestones• Quality metrics including pathogen panels and glycosylation• Donor variability, blending strategies, and future immortalization• Clinical impact of moving from rationing to earlier use• Funding update and industry partnershipsPlease listen to the disclaimer at the end of this podcast.Show notes: https://3dheals.com/episode-102-can-bioprinting-bioreactor-reshape-the-future-of-immunology/About our guests:Dr. Melanie Matheu is an immunologist, inventor, and biotechnologist recognized for pioneering work in high-resolution tissue engineering and human immunology. She received her PhD in Physiology and Biophysics with a focus on Immunology from UC Irvine and completed postdoctoral training at VIB (Ghent University, Belgium) and UC San Francisco, where she specialized in 2-photon imaging and cellular immune responses. As founder of Prellis Biologics, Dr. Matheu brought forward laser-based tissue bioprinting to solve complex challenges in organ transplantation and therapeutic antibody discovery. She later co-founded Lyric Bio, where she serves as Chief Scientific Officer, advancing scalable biomanufacturing platforms and rapid human immune system modeling. Dr. Matheu has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, holds multiple patents, and is a passionate advocate for innovation at the intersection of immunology and bioengineering.Kevin Shannon (Kayj) holds a degree in Molecular Biology from Princeton University and a MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Kayj has held positions spanning the biotech ecosystem including start-ups, big pharma, venture capital, and consulting. As part of Corporate Strategy at Amgen, he worked with Amgen’s C-Suite to shape long-term strategy, built partnerships in novel therapeutic modalities, and led investments in emerging categories including cell & gene therapy, antibody engineering, single cell analysis, and quantum computing. Kayj has also consulted for multiple VC funds where he developed investment theses and performed Send us a textSupport the showSubscribe to our premium version and support the show. Follow us: Twitter Instagram Linkedin 3DHEALS WebsiteFacebookFacebook GroupYoutube channelAbout Pitch3D

Episode #101 | Therapeutic Hardware: Can Implants Also Heal? With Alyssa Huffman Allumin8

In this episode, Alyssa Huffman, CEO and co-founder of Allumin8, shares the six-year journey behind a first-of-its-kind 5.5 mm porous, 3D-printed pedicle screw. We discussed how Allumin8 earned FDA clearance and why design details matter for fatigue, fixation, and fewer revisions. We also map a path toward therapeutic hardware that integrates orthobiologics without slowing surgeons down.Critical questions addressed:Why does 5.5 mm matter so much?How does Gaussian topography support bone ingrowth?What are some of the lessons from fatigue testing and post-processing?What are the additive vs milled manufacturing trade-offs?What was Allumin8's FDA journey and strategy?When and how do orthobiologics add value?How did Alyssa build a purpose-aligned team and investor base?What are some practical founder advice on equity and boards?What is on Alyssa's wishlist for the future of orthopedic implants? Please listen to the disclaimer at the end of this podcast.Stay tuned for our show notes for relevant links, video highlights, glossary of terms, and more resources to enjoy this episode. Send us a textSupport the showSubscribe to our premium version and support the show. Follow us: Twitter Instagram Linkedin 3DHEALS WebsiteFacebookFacebook GroupYoutube channelAbout Pitch3D