Posted on 02/07/2014 8:25:53 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Scientists at the University of Wollongong (that's a real place) in Australia have developed a device that replaces traditional surgery with something more akin to an art project. The BioPen is a handheld 3D printer that can actually print bone directly onto patients during surgery. Soon, surgeons will simply be able to doodle their patients back to health.
The BioPen uses a stem cell ink which can be coaxed into differentiating into muscle, bone, or nerve cells. A seaweed-based growth culture encourages the cells to thrive in their new environment while a second polymer, cured by the use of a UV light, provides a protective shell during the healing process. The complex and adaptive bio-ink can even be further augmented to include growth hormone and other substances that would encourage rapid recovery.
Obviously, the BioPen isn't quite ready for commercial use just yet. Next stop for this bone-writing wonder is St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, where it will undergo clinical testing. If all goes well, we could eventually see surgeons world-wide signing up for art classes in preparation for their new jobs as the human body's installation artists.
University of Wollongong, via CNET
*rimshot*
Adult stem cells are derived from all sorts of different places.
The fat derived cells are not necessarily multi potent
Bone marrow derived adult stem cells are most characterized.
Often claims to fat cell derived stem cells are quite premature and are based upon some marker gene expression changes that don’t necessarily correlate with a true differentiation.
Professor Solomon Selzer, eat your heart out you manky git...
Cue the reconstitution scene from The 5th Element.
Can they make clones with that? The world could use a few more Milla Jovovichs.
Now if they can keep the surgical site infection free. Very few people that I know have had surgeries in the last eight years without further complications from infection.
My BIL is battling all sorts of infections from a surgery 6 months ago. They go in and drain it - more infections. The cut out tissue - more infections. They give antibiotics - it went super strain. Now his kidneys are failing. It’s been down, down, down hill since.
Same here, but I need an L5 disk first, then ACL in my right knee, then shoulder cartilage - unless I can get the nerves regenerated in my neck...
Glad this is being done in Australia where they don't have the ObamaCare device tax to kill innovation.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why penmanship is important for a doctor...
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