Potomac Photonics, a digital manufacturing company, recently completed a set of precision 3-D printed parts for Boston University (BU), in Boston, Mass., to support its stem cell research. Potomac provided the stencils as part of its Educational Manufacturing Initiative, which is geared toward partnering with universities to help with micro-manufacturing applications at reduced costs.

The Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM) at BU’s medical campus is dedicated advancing stem cell research and regenerative medicine, and is particularly focused on diseases seen at Boston Medical Center, the teaching hospital of BU School of Medicine. CReM has six areas of concentration: lung stem cell and developmental biology; gastrointestinal stem cell biology and gut disorders; embryonic stem and induced pluripotent stem cell biology; hematopoietic stem cell biology and blood disorders; bone injury and repair; and biomedical engineering focused on stem cell delivery.

Stem cells are extremely important in current medical research due to their ability to differentiate into specialized cells types. Experts say they may one day provide a renewable source of replacement cells for people that require organ transplants or are suffering from ailments such as Parkinson’s disease, Type I diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

According to BU investigators, understanding and controlling stem cell differentiation in vitro is proving to be a major challenge because cells can interact with each other either through direct contact or by cell-secreted factors, and a more controlled cell micro-environment is needed to systematically elucidate the important factors that influence cell behavior.

Potomac fabricated precision stencils to pattern seeded stem cells such that cells are grown in a defined arrangement relative to each other. By preparing various stencils, the BU researchers hope to determine how the relative position of stem cells affects their differentiation efficiency and differentiated progeny.

“It fills us with great pride that our advanced manufacturing technologies such as lasers, micro-CNC and 3-D printers are being used to promote research and development of new devices that will help improve our quality of life,” said Mike Davis, Potomac Photonics’ vice president of operations.


Potomac Photonics provides microfabrication and small hole drilling services. The company is headquartered in Lanham, Md.

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