Posted on 02/22/2016 8:39:26 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Scientists announced that for the first time ever, they were able to 3-D print an organ, successfully transplant it into an animal and get it to work.
Last week, scientists announced that for the first time ever, they were able to 3-D print an organ, successfully transplant it into an animal and get it to work. If you're unsure of whether that's really as crazy as it sounds, it is.
For years scientists have succeeded at 3-D printing "living" tissue, but that tissue has been too weak, too unstable and too small to implant into humans or animals. Getting the tissue to stay alive long enough to integrate with the body and fuse with its blood supply has been next to impossible. Because of those hurdles, some scientists are skeptical that printing organs for the human body will ever become more than science fiction.
But now researchers at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine report they kept a baby-sized ear alive on a mouse for two months. And the ear didn't just survive -- it formed new cartilage tissue and blood vessels, signs of a successful integration with the mouse's body...
(Excerpt) Read more at huffingtonpost.com ...
I read a while back and i’m pretty sure that it was about how the can currently print 3-D print DNA molecules.
Sounds like they’ll be ready about the time I need one. Good.
That has always been my master plan with my liver. Enjoy life now and hope break throughs in medical science extend my time. I thought that they could take a small biopsy of my liver and grow me a new one that was not rejected by my body. Organ Transplants on demand like a movie or a song. #Organbook or #Iorgan can save the day.
Yum.
I think the retirement age just went up...
To add background or context although somewhat off topic, I know people who have gotten 3-D printed dental crowns - 1/4 the cost of the traditional crown and only had to wait an hour. Also a cousin’s replacement for her second knee was a 3-D replica of her own knee.
All are pleased with the results a year or more later.
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