3D printed is driving major innovations in many areas, such as engineering, manufacturing, art, education and medicine. Its mind boggling to think that organs can be produce using 3D printer. The picture shown above contains the 3D printed scaffolding for a kidney, cartilage for an ear, and bone for a finger. Just imagine if we actually can make organs on demand then this means patients doesn't have to wait as for transplanted organs. In US alone there are 78,837 patients are waiting for organs, but only 3,407 donations been made since January 2014. It is still an early stage of the technology because printing working human organs is not as easy as printing out plastic toy.
What is it 3D organ?
In 1990s the bio-printing came in limelight because scientist at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, 3D-Printed the synthetic building blocks that are required to grow human bladders. They didn't print the actual bladder that can be transplanted into human. In early 2000s that Clemson university bio engineer, Thomas Boland started modifying ink-jet printers to dispense biological ink and make 3D objects.
In 2007 Organovo company printed out liver tissue samples used for drug testing and research. The company hasn't really made the functional liver yet but they are not far from it.
The Bio-printing Process:
Organovo company grows and generates the tissues outside the human body by using bio printer in the laboratory environment. Once the tissue is design is achieved then the bio process protocols are develop to generate the multicellular building blocks also known as Bio ink. To print the 3D organ following steps are taken:
In 1990s the bio-printing came in limelight because scientist at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, 3D-Printed the synthetic building blocks that are required to grow human bladders. They didn't print the actual bladder that can be transplanted into human. In early 2000s that Clemson university bio engineer, Thomas Boland started modifying ink-jet printers to dispense biological ink and make 3D objects.
In 2007 Organovo company printed out liver tissue samples used for drug testing and research. The company hasn't really made the functional liver yet but they are not far from it.
The Bio-printing Process:
Organovo company grows and generates the tissues outside the human body by using bio printer in the laboratory environment. Once the tissue is design is achieved then the bio process protocols are develop to generate the multicellular building blocks also known as Bio ink. To print the 3D organ following steps are taken:
- To able to create individual organ CT scan or MRIs is performed on the patient. Then the blue print is created through the software that serves a guide on how cells are positioned in each layer.
- Then the patient on cells are used to create the required organ.
- Once a specimen is printed, it needs to go into the incubator so the cells can fuse and start working together like a real organ.
By Ayesha Javaid.
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