Organs Printed Out
http://singularityhub.com/2009/06/08/growing-organs-in-the-lab/
"This research isn’t something that might happen in the distant future.
It’s being used today to grow fresh organs, open up new ways to study disease and the immune
system, and reduce the need for organ transplants.
Organ-farming laboratories are popping up across the planet, and showing impressive results. Here we
look at the state of the union of a rapidly advancing field called tissue engineering: what’s been
accomplished so far, and what’s right around the corner. Patients who undergo organ transplants
require loads of toxic drugs to suppress their immune systems; otherwise their body might reject the
organ. But tissue engineering could make organ transplants a thing of the past. By using a patient’s cells
to grow new types of tissue in the lab, researchers are finding new ways to custom-engineer you new
body parts by using your own cells. ... Another exciting frontier is the field of printable tissue and
organs, which is just what it sounds like. Inkjet cartidges are cleaned out and loaded with a mixture of
live human cells and “smart gel.” Then, layer by layer, the cells are printed atop one another until a 3D
organ is constructed. Just as a normal printer can deposit different colored ink, organ printing allows
scientists to specify where to place different cell types. Organ printing has already created beating
cardiac cells, and could soon produce organs that are viable for transplant. But unlike other 3D printers,
I wouldn’t want this one in my living room. ... Merely a decade ago, tissue engineering was still a new
field that struggled to find funding and support. Today, thousands of scientists worldwide are
coordinating efforts to reach new breakthroughs, and the demonstrated potential of these methods has
helped bring in investors. That should keep the organ growing field moving forward in the future
months and years, and we’ll be covering new advances as they emerge."
Next
http://singularityhub.com/2009/06/08/growing-organs-in-the-lab/
"This research isn’t something that might happen in the distant future.
It’s being used today to grow fresh organs, open up new ways to study disease and the immune
system, and reduce the need for organ transplants.
Organ-farming laboratories are popping up across the planet, and showing impressive results. Here we
look at the state of the union of a rapidly advancing field called tissue engineering: what’s been
accomplished so far, and what’s right around the corner. Patients who undergo organ transplants
require loads of toxic drugs to suppress their immune systems; otherwise their body might reject the
organ. But tissue engineering could make organ transplants a thing of the past. By using a patient’s cells
to grow new types of tissue in the lab, researchers are finding new ways to custom-engineer you new
body parts by using your own cells. ... Another exciting frontier is the field of printable tissue and
organs, which is just what it sounds like. Inkjet cartidges are cleaned out and loaded with a mixture of
live human cells and “smart gel.” Then, layer by layer, the cells are printed atop one another until a 3D
organ is constructed. Just as a normal printer can deposit different colored ink, organ printing allows
scientists to specify where to place different cell types. Organ printing has already created beating
cardiac cells, and could soon produce organs that are viable for transplant. But unlike other 3D printers,
I wouldn’t want this one in my living room. ... Merely a decade ago, tissue engineering was still a new
field that struggled to find funding and support. Today, thousands of scientists worldwide are
coordinating efforts to reach new breakthroughs, and the demonstrated potential of these methods has
helped bring in investors. That should keep the organ growing field moving forward in the future
months and years, and we’ll be covering new advances as they emerge."
Next
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