USF Health
3D printed nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs
The University of South Florida (USF) has been awarded the Patents for Humanity award by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its patent of the 3D printed nasopharyngeal (NP) swab.
The swab was created early on in the pandemic as a solution for the disruption in commercial production of standard flocked NP swabs and were key to diagnosing COVID-19.
USF says that due to urgent need worldwide, the team behind the 3D printed NP swab decided to forgo monetisation of the invention, and provided the necessary design files and clinical data at no cost to hospitals, clinics, and medical device companies around the world, as long as the swabs were produced for their own use.
Over the span of one week in March 2020, teams from USF Health, Northwell Health, Tampa General Hospital, and Formlabs worked together to develop the swab using Formlabs 3D printers and biocompatible, autoclavable materials, which USF says were able to withstand elevated temperature and pressure of an autoclave.
The prototypes were then benchmarked against standard flocked swabs for viral sample retention in the laboratory and tested for patient safety and comfort by USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine researchers.
After passing the tests, the teams initiated a multisite clinical trial at multiple hospital sites across the US, including Tampa General Hospital, Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, New York, and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, comparing performance of the 3D printed NP swabs with flocked swabs.
The design was then shared with hospitals health systems, the military, and clinics around the world. USF says that to date, the patented design has been shared with institutions in more than 60 countries that have produced over 100 million swabs.
USF Health
“I am proud of how our USF Health team stepped forward to combine their expertise and innovation with teams from Tampa General Hospital, Formlabs and Northwell Health to help save lives around the world,” said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, Executive Vice President for USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, and EVP and Chief Academic Officer at Tampa General Hospital.
Lockwood added: “This recognition by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office validates both the tremendous power of academic medicine, especially during a crisis, and the values and commitment these teams have for contributing to the greater good.”
“Our goal from the start was to help as many people as possible, as fast and safely as possible,” said Summer Decker, PhD, professor in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, and Director for 3D Clinical Applications in USF Health’s Department of Radiology, who led the team.
Gaurav Manchanda, Director of Medical Market Development, at Formlabs said: “We were honoured to help in this effort and pleased to see the reliability, scalability, and accessibility of our 3D printing solutions put into action. By combining the centralised quality, regulatory, and medical manufacturing expertise at Formlabs with a decentralised production network of global medical customers, local health institutions were able to print and use millions of swabs needed during the shortage. Formlabs is proud to be recognised alongside USF Health, Northwell Health, and Tampa General Hospital in the USPTO Patents for Humanity COVID-19 category.”