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The Scar Free Foundation and 3D Bioface head to the House of Commons

What happened when we took a 3D bioprinter to the Big Smoke?

Three people wearing orange lanyards smile at camera in a large stone hall with wooden chairs.

When’s it worth taking a £50,000 bioprinter on an 184 mile train journey? When you’re heading to the Association of Medical Research Charities 2025 Showcase!

The Scar Free Foundation and the Swansea University 3D Bioface team were honoured to be invited to the House of Commons for the Showcase, to celebrate the collective ‘impact of the UK’s medical research charity sector to an audience of MPs and Peers’.

Out of 75 charities, The Scar Free Foundation was one of five chosen to present their research interactively – and what better way to do that than print 3D ears in front of a live audience.

James Bethell's LinkedIn post about The Scar Free Foundation with a photo of four people at a parliamentary event.

At the moment, patients with missing ears can chose between uncomfortable prosthetics, or surgery to reconstruct the absent cartilage. These procedures are painful, invasive, and cause further scarring.

But the 3D Bioface team are doing things a little differently.

Dark liquid swirling in a clear beaker or container, revealing a prosthetic ear.

The researchers have developed a unique type of ‘bio-ink’ which encourages cartilage to grow. Combined with cells from the patient, the scientists can 3D-print a scaffold the size and shape of the body part that’s missing.

Eventually, the patient’s cells will fill in the scaffold, leaving researchers with a custom ear or nose that can be surgically implanted on to the patient. In the future, we hope this will be the new gold standard of reconstruction.

Two men in business attire examining a small sculptural model during a professional meeting in an elegant office.

AMRC member medical research charities invested £1.7 billion into UK research in 2023. It’s this medical research which is keeping us healthier for longer, and introduces innovative, more effective ways to approach physical and psychological treatments.

Attending Showcases such as these not only offers medical research charities the opportunity to explain the wide-ranging benefits of their work, but forges a bond between the organisations that exist to improve existing medical options and get help to those who need it most.

A huge thank you to the AMRC for having us!

Collage of four photos from AMRC Medical Research Charity Showcase event featuring participants wearing lanyards indoors.
Woman in orange lanyard smiling at camera at professional event with colleagues networking in background.
Visitors examine medical display equipment at Scar Free Foundation event in elegant room with period furnishings.
Four people in business attire and orange lanyards stand beside a white table displaying medical equipment and materials at an event.
Three people wearing orange lanyards smile at camera in a large stone hall with wooden chairs.
Two men discussing medical research at a table with laptop and samples, cityscape visible through windows behind them.
Professionals networking at an indoor event, examining displays near ornate doors with patterned curtains.
Four professionals wearing lanyards stand beside a display table with a 3D printer and materials in an elegant room with ornate curtains.
Three people wearing orange lanyards smiling at camera with Big Ben and London landmarks in background.
Two men in business suits engaged in conversation while holding a small object, in an elegant room with tall windows and patterned curtains.
Business professionals networking at formal event in elegant venue with period architecture and chandeliers.
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