Abstract
Origami folding technique has been widely used in various fields including space structures and medical fields. Recently, it is known as “Origami Engineering”. In this paper, I will introduce the application of origami engineering in medical fields, particularly for medical devices and regeneration medicine. Using the origami folding technique, a new type of a stent graft has been developed. Unlike the conventional stent grafts which consist of a wire mesh and a covering membrane, the proposed stent graft can be made from a single folded sheet of material. Also, three-dimensional (3D) cell-laden microstructures has been produced using origami folding technique and the cell traction force (CTF). Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture is widely employed for fundamental research in cell biology, drug discovery, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.
