The NIH 3D Print Exchange: A Public Resource for Bioscientific and Biomedical 3D Prints

Abstract

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched the NIH 3D Print Exchange, an online portal for discovering and creating bioscientifically relevant 3D models suitable for 3D printing, to provide both researchers and educators with a trusted source to discover accurate and informative models. There are a number of online resources for 3D prints, but there is a paucity of scientific models, and the expertise required to generate and validate such models remains a barrier. The NIH 3D Print Exchange fills this gap by providing novel, web-based tools that empower users with the ability to create ready-to-print 3D files from molecular structure data, microscopy image stacks, and computed tomography scan data. The NIH 3D Print Exchange facilitates open data sharing in a community-driven environment, and also includes various interactive features, as well as information and tutorials on 3D modeling software. As the first government-sponsored website dedicated to 3D printing, the NIH 3D Print Exchange is an important step forward to bringing 3D printing to the mainstream for scientific research and education.

Figure 1.

The NIH 3D Print Exchange is a virtual collection of bioscientific 3D models and tutorials for 3D printing, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. Scan the QR code to visit the web site

Figure 2.

Physical representations of complex structures can provide valuable insights into otherwise unseen features. A 3D print of hemagglutinin (3DPX-000027), a receptor on the influenza virus, helped change the direction of research toward a universal flu vaccine (print by Darrell Hurt, photo by Jeremy Swan).

Figure 3.

Novel web-based tools generate STL and VRML files, each with a corresponding PNG image and X3D version. Molecular structures are output in seven variants; examples from entry 3DPX-000479 show (A) ribbon secondary structure and (B) hydrophobic surface of a protein in complex with DNA (A, green; B, pink). Isosurfaces derived from microscopy data and image stacks are rendered in monochrome and with radial coloring, (C) the latter shown for Human Papilloma Virus (EMDB-5839), 3DPX-000406.

Figure 4.

A screenshot of the X3DOM viewer. An X3D was autogenerated from an STL (3DPX-000404) uploaded by Dr. Bruno B. Gobbato (username bgobbato), shoulder and elbow specialist, Instituto de Ortopedia e Traumatologia de Jaraguá do Sul, SC, Brazil. Model based on computed tomography scan data of the lower cranium and cervical vertebrae.