3D printed body parts. Thing not of distant future
Life extension might just be possible for not all but some of the very
elite. Looking forward to most likely hear or even get some organs
printed for myself in near future.
Using a combination of cells in what it terms "bio-ink," Organovo already has 3-D-printed blood vessels as well as liver, lung and breast-tumor tissues for laboratory studies of potential treatments for cancer, Parkinson's disease and pulmonary hypertension. Although the company has yet to be profitable since it was incorporated in 2007, it has forged partnerships with several research institutions and drug companies, including giant Hoffman La Roche
Using a combination of cells in what it terms "bio-ink," Organovo already has 3-D-printed blood vessels as well as liver, lung and breast-tumor tissues for laboratory studies of potential treatments for cancer, Parkinson's disease and pulmonary hypertension. Although the company has yet to be profitable since it was incorporated in 2007, it has forged partnerships with several research institutions and drug companies, including giant Hoffman La Roche
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Last year an article, "3D bioprinting of tissues and organs", published in Nature Biotechnology, reviewed the 3D bioprinting of living tissues and even organs done so far in research labs around the world. Authors Sean V Murphy & Anthony Atala are researchers at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, USA. They quote, recent advances
have enabled 3D printing of biocompatible materials, cells and
supporting components into complex 3D functional living tissues. 3D
bioprinting is being applied to regenerative medicine to address the
need for tissues and organs suitable for transplantation. Compared with
non-biological printing, 3D bioprinting involves additional
complexities, such as the choice of materials, cell types, growth and
differentiation factors, and technical challenges related to the
sensitivities of living cells and the construction of tissues.
Addressing these complexities requires the integration of technologies
from the fields of engineering, biomaterials science, cell biology,
physics and medicine. 3D bioprinting has already been used for the
generation and transplantation of several tissues, including
multilayered skin, bone, vascular grafts, tracheal splints, heart tissue
and cartilaginous structures. Other applications include developing
high-throughput 3D-bioprinted tissue models for research, drug discovery
and toxicology.
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