Three-dimensional printing has advanced into the realm of human body parts. Researchers with the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine have announced in a recent study that they have developed a special 3-D printer that is able to produce what they call “living tissue structures.” Three-dimensional printing has advanced into the realm of human body parts. Researchers affiliated with the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine have announced in a recent study that they have developed a special 3-D printer that is able to produce what they call “living tissue structures.” Specifically, the parts they have been able to create through this method are ears, jawbones, and muscles. The key to Wake Forest’s system is their printer’s ability to extrude a mixture of hydrogels, a substance with human cells in it, and materials which provide structure but eventually dissolve. As such, it allows for the formation of sponge-like channels which can be used to get nutrients to interior cells; in previous efforts, the cells would often starve and die. According to the press release, ahttp://www.bbc.com/news/health-355814… the structures were implanted in animals, they “matured into functional tissue and developed a system of blood vessels.” It goes on to state that the results are promising for the potential viability in humans. However, this possibility is still years off, as is the ultimate goal is to create custom parts for specific individuals.
