Scientists 3D printed a functioning liver
Using 3-D bioprinting technology, engineers at UC San Diego have created a tissue that closely mimics the human liver’s sophisticated structure and function.
While 3-D printed livers are not yet viable for human transplant, they could be used for patient-specific drug screening and disease modeling.
Researchers say this advancement will save pharmaceutical companies time and money by allowing them to conduct drug safety and efficacy pilot studies immediately. Additionally, there are certain diseases or drugs that cannot be safely tested on humans (e.g., nerve agents or super bugs), and 3-D printed human tissue offers the only alternative.
3-D printed livers can also be useful for reproducing diseased liver models, which will be invaluable for studying how diseases like cancer or hepatitis affect the liver as well as for testing the efficacy of drug therapies.
PR:
http://universityofcalifornia.edu/news/uc-san-diego-lab-prints-3-d-functioning-liver-tissue
Image of the 3D-printed part of the biomimetic liver tissue:
endothelial and mesenchymal supporing cells
#research #3dprinting #bioengineering #health #liver
3D printing is really coming along quickly over the last decade. There are even printers for food, so you can design your own pasta, for instance. Machines are still a long way from being as good as humans when it comes to food though, at least when it comes to taste and creativity.
ReplyDeleteSam Collett -- the first time I ever saw a reference to a 3d printer, was a blurb about saul griffith's masters' thesis, in 2000, in which he'd built a printer out of LEGO bricks that printed chocolate. (Which is still a completely awesome idea.)
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