
Researcher uses light to print everything from organs to prosthetics
Andreas Gejl Madsen is building a holographic 3D printer that uses light to fabricate, for example, a pancreas or a heart valve in under a minute. He has one year to develop a business based on his research.
Optimal use of light, refinement of a new holographic 3D fabrication technique, and enormous potential — this is the foundation for SDU’s latest postdoc in the Spin-outs Denmark programme.
Andreas Gejl Madsen is working on a method based on a reversed analogy to CT scanning: whereas a CT scan reconstructs a 3D model from images taken from multiple angles, the new technology does the opposite; it sends holographic light patterns from many angles into a material, thereby forming a physical object.
The entire process takes just seconds and avoids the layering typical of conventional 3D fabrication. The technology, called HoloVAM, which is patented by SDU, is a holographic refinement of a relatively new 3D printing technique — tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing — which currently uses expensive and powerful lasers that should not be operated by non-experts.
“It’s inefficient because a lot of light is wasted. Previous methods waste up to 99% of the light and require powerful lasers. With our holographic approach in HoloVAM, we utilize over 95% of the light, allowing us to fabricate using light sources as small as a regular laser pointer,” explains Andreas Gejl Madsen.
”Previous methods waste up to 99% of the light and require powerful lasers. With our holographic approach in Holovam, we utilize over 95% of the light, allowing us to fabricate using light sources as small as a regular laser pointer
The core of his research is minimizing light waste. By using light more efficiently, not only can more compact and user-friendly systems be constructed, but it also reduces damage to living cells during biofabrication — which is crucial for medical applications.
Efficient and user-friendly technology
During a stay in Switzerland, Andreas Gejl Madsen helped develop the first prototype of the HoloVAM printer, which uses light to form complex 3D objects, such as biological tissue. Today, he is working on an 100 times more efficient and compact version of the technology.
Andreas and his collaborator and co-founder, Professor Jesper Glückstad, the inventor of HoloVAM, are eyeing the biofabrication market.
“We haven’t yet decided which application to focus on first, but ultra-rapid biofabrication is extremely promising for us. At the same time, the technology is designed to be user-friendly and adaptable to various environments — even onboard space stations,” Madsen says.
SDU researchers launch companies
As part of the Spin-outs Denmark program, Andreas Gejl Madsen receives one year of financial and professional support to establish the new company.
Before him, Kristian Husum Laursen, Ïo Valls-Ratés, Bhushan Patil, Jesper Puggaard de Oliveira Hansen, Nicolaj Haarhøj Malle, Magnus Jensen, Adrian Radomski, and Nathali Herold Solon Pilegaard have received SDU’s postdoc positions in the nationwide program.
They are working on developing companies based on research in drones, digital voice training, indoor solar cells, adaptation of production machinery, improving cancer surgeries, and developing fictional worlds.
From research to business
With HoloVAM, it is possible to fabricate individual, customized components or biological tissue quickly, precisely, and energy-efficiently.
The next major milestone for Andreas Gejl Madsen is to complete the new prototype and build collaborations with both clinical and industrial partners. The leap from research to business is not a big one for him.
“I did an industrial PhD, so it’s not unfamiliar. I’ve always wanted to see how research can be applied in the real world. In this program, where we have a year to develop, I can start something new and minimize the risk. We don’t have to constantly seek new funding like others do, at least in this period.”
From researcher to Entrepreneur
- Spin-Outs Denmark is a one-year programme for junior researchers dreaming of creating a company based on their own research (a spin-out).
- The programme is run by the eight Danish universities and is funded by the Villum Foundation.
- Spin-outs Denmark appoints 60 early-career researchers for translational postdoc positions.
- Read more about the programme.