With the advent and maturity of 3D printing technology, its application range is becoming more and more extensive. In addition to the construction, aerospace, automotive, dental and medical industries, 3D printing is also beginning to be used in the medical field.
According to Hudi Lipson, a bioengineer at Cornell University in the United States, the highest stage of 3D printing in the future is bio-printing, which uses human tissue or stem cells to make raw materials and print out the same organs as the human body.
The US "Popular Science" counts five human organs that can be manufactured through 3D bioprinting, including ears, kidneys, blood vessels, skin grafts and bones, but has not yet been put into clinical use on a large scale.
First, the scientist needs to perform a CT scan on the patient to obtain accurate image data of various parts of the patient's body; then analyze the result by computer software and make a "product map"; then print it out and put it into the incubator. So that the cells and cells can "fused" with each other; the printed tissue structure can be directly implanted into the patient, and the cells are recombined and differentiated under the control of growth factors, eventually forming new tissues and organs.
3D bioprinting process schematic. Image source: Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
According to the British "Daily Mail" report, plastic surgeons at the Morriston Hospital in Wales, UK, are developing a new approach: using the patient's own cells for 3D printing of organs. “We are trying to use human cells to print creatures and provide the right environment and the right time to grow into tissue that can be placed in the body. It will rebuild parts of the body that are missing, such as the nose or part of the ear, and ultimately Larger parts such as bones, muscles and blood vessels can be reconstructed," said Professor Iain Whitaker of the hospital. He said that once the research is successful, after directly implanting the 3D printed product, a new body part will be generated within two months, even without cutting the bad part from the patient's body and implanting it, so that many incurable diseases Will be expected to receive treatment.
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