3-D Organ Printing Breakthrough Could Help Save 175,000 Lives a Year Worldwide

[bigheadfred]

The promise of 3-D printing organs has been around almost for as long as we’ve had 3-D printers. Now, scientists with the University of California – San Diego have made a significant breakthrough to help make it happen.

Part of the problem with building a 3-D organ is mimicking the complex blood vessel structure both within the organ, and surrounding it which connects it with the rest of the body’s cardiovascular system. Earlier this year, the Chen Lab for BioNanomaterials succeeded in putting together a vascular system integrated within specimen tissue.

In short, the 3-D printer was able to print both the organ and the vessels needed to keep it functional as one unit.

http://60secondstatistics.com/3-d-organ-printing-breakthrough-could-help-save-175000-lives-a-year-worldwide/

[truth_seeker]

3-D printing is merely the method of construction. What about the materials themselves ?

How does one make muscle and kidney or liver tissue ?

[bigheadfred]

3-D printing is merely the method of construction. What about the materials themselves ?

How does one make muscle and kidney or liver tissue ?

They are doing a lot of work with what they refer to as "scaffolds". They form the skeleton, as it were, for the printer to put living cells on. Material copasetic to the real thing. They used syringes to lay down living cells in a gel. Cells probably grown in dishes. And other syringes to lay down proteins to help feed the living cells.

For an organ transplant, they would start with your own cells to grow the new cells for the transplant organ from.

[bigheadfred]

For that matter, I think the brain is the only organ that doesn't regenerate itself so they aren't trying to get the cells to do something they aren't already doing.

[truth_seeker]

They are doing a lot of work with what they refer to as "scaffolds". They form the skeleton, as it were, for the printer to put living cells on. Material copasetic to the real thing. They used syringes to lay down living cells in a gel. Cells probably grown in dishes. And other syringes to lay down proteins to help feed the living cells.

For an organ transplant, they would start with your own cells to grow the new cells for the transplant organ from.

Thanks.

[Taxcontrol]

Recently, scientists have figured out how to take spinach and turn it into cardio / vascular tissue.  It appears that we are on the cusp of being able to custom build a variety of organs as replacement parts.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/25/scientists-turn-spinach-leaf-working-heart-tissue/

[bigheadfred]

Recently, scientists have figured out how to take spinach and turn it into cardio / vascular tissue.  It appears that we are on the cusp of being able to custom build a variety of organs as replacement parts.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/25/scientists-turn-spinach-leaf-working-heart-tissue/

Popeye was right?

[geronl]

Recently, scientists have figured out how to take spinach and turn it into cardio / vascular tissue.  It appears that we are on the cusp of being able to custom build a variety of organs as replacement parts.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/25/scientists-turn-spinach-leaf-working-heart-tissue/

if they can do kidneys, that'd be like a miracle