The use of 3D printers outside the fields
of product engineering and manufacturing and to print off a kidney or
another human organ may sound like something out of a science
fiction story. But now this science fiction is a reality.
Unlike normal printers, Bioprinters use a
"bio-ink" made of living cell mixtures to form human tissue.
Basically, the bio-ink is used to build a 3D structure of cells, layer by
layer, to form tissue.
According to researchers, 3D
printing will make organ transplants easier because organs and tissues can
be generated on demand. It can also lessen organ rejection among patients
because the living cells used in engineering these organs can be harvested from
the patient’s body itself. Organovo , a San Diego-based company that
focuses on regenerative medicine, is one company using 3D bio-printers to print
functional human tissue for medical research and regenerative therapies.
Australian scientists have found a way to
grow human body parts using 3D printing technology. Instead of using
traditional materials such as plastics or metals however, the team hopes that
the printers will be able to create new body parts out of the patient’s own
skin cells – a concept that Professor Mark Cook, director of neuroscience, has
described as “quite incredible and limitless”. This will become invaluable for
doctors because these machines help them do their jobs with a higher degree of
precision.
University of Wollongong researchers are
leading the way in this area using a 3D bio-plotter, the first of its kind in
Australia. This machine is able to use bio-materials to print material in a
sterile environment that more accurately represents human tissue. It's possible
to print devices and structures that can be implanted in human bodies, and
these devices can have cells grown on them so that bodily functions can be
replicated on these very tiny devices.
Whilst similar projects are being conducted
globally to recreate body parts, the Australian partnership between St.
Vincents and ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science have sought
government assistance to accelerate proceedings, in order to position Melbourne
in the forefront of this area of research.
