Simply a Medical Revolution - Printing Organs

By now, most people are familiar with the incredible capabilities of 3D printing. These printers have been around since 2009 and are designing  intricate devices ranging from the nano-scale level, all the way to three dimensional parts for airplanes. However, did you ever think these printers could create tissues, blood vessels and even hearts? Sounds a like the next big science-fiction novel by Robert Sawyer, or the sequel to the movie Frankenstein. Indeed, this is no science fiction story, it is merely the incredible work of a San Diego based company called Organovo.

Organovo's initial goal was to create an arterial graft for use in coronary bypass surgery. However, with the success they have been having and the strong adaptability of these "printed-biological tissues" in the body, they have set new long-term goals which involve solving problems in medical therapy that could not be solved otherwise. This is especially true in "organ transplants, where tens of thousands of people are waiting for donated organs", said Keith Murphy, CEO of the company, Organovo.

What makes tissue creation possible is that these printers use a patient’s own cells- rather than those of a donated heart or liver. Even more interesting, the parts are made from the organ recipient's own genetic matter, and precisely match the tissue or organ they replace. This allows for little risk of an immune response, which lessens the need for debilitating immuno-suppressive drugs.

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Source: http://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/connections/archive/2012/06/257654/

Can you imagine how incredible it would be to harvest organs via a 3D printer? This would eliminate growing cells in petri-dishes and the need for bioadaptability testing (i.e. most harvested organs are used in animals etc. prior to use in humans).

How does it work you ask? The printers put cells into a “mold” layer-by-layer, until eventually a three-dimensional structure is developed. After the mould has been created, the layered cells are put into a bio-reactor to fuse together…and with time- VOILA! In fact, recently Organovo arranged heart cells in a grid using the bio-printer and after they fused together in the bio-reactor, the structure actually began BEATING -just like real heart tissue!!! Think about it: skin, windpipes, bladders, and more complex structures like hearts, waiting to be printed on demand with the click of a computer mouse.