Body Parts From A 3D Printer?

 

Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), and colleagues explain that current 3D printers are unable to produce human tissues and organs that are strong enough to be transplanted in the body or that can survive following transplantation. However, the team believes that their ITOP technology, however, could help overcome such problems.

The 3D prints also consist of micro-channels, which act as a sponge to soak to up the body’s nutrients and oxygen after transplantation. This helps the structures survive as they develop a blood vessel system, which they need in order to function in the human body.

This image shows the ITOP system printing a jaw bone fragment.
Image credit: Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

In their study, Dr. Atala and colleagues used the ITOP system to build baby-sized human ear structures – around 1.5 in – and implanted them beneath the skin of mice.

Their results indicated that the bio-ink combination we used, combined with the micro-channels, provides the right environment to keep the cells alive and to support cell and tissue growth