Wow! 3D printed human organs

3D outer ear 

Really exciting news- human organs can be printed using a highly specialized 3D printer. Scientists are now able to develop a perfect copy of a person's cells and tissues after scanning it with a CT scan or MRI.


And now, researchers at Princeton University and Johns Hopkins University have taken 3D printing further with the  development of a prototype 3D outer ear which was printed from a range of materials: a hydrogel to form an ear-shaped scaffold, cells that will grow to form cartilage, and silver nanoparticles to form an antenna.

So far, 3D technology has been used to produce artificial hearts, brains, blood vessels, livers, skulls and faces.

The synthesized tissues have been used in different roles. For example, scientists now use biosynthetic liver tissue to experiment with drugs which expedites the discovery of new drugs. In another case, a surgeon used a replica of a patient's brain tissue to practise before going into surgery cutting surgical time and reducing errors.

For tissues that are transferred to humans, the risk of rejection is slim to nil, because the material comes from the patient, and not some third-party donor.

Hopefully, this technology won't be too expensive so a lot of people who have lost vital body tissues to disease or accidents can access it.