3D-printed partial liver transplants targeted for 2020
In as little as three years, patients awaiting a liver transplant may be able to donate healthy cells and have them replicated through a 3D printer into a dollar-sized piece of tissue that can extend their lives.
San Diego-based bio-printing company Organovo has already shown that its 3D printed liver tissue patches have continued to function when implanted into mice. Next step: human beings.
The 10-year-old company developed a bioprinting process that can be tailored to produce tissue in a variety of formats, including micro-scale human liver tissue and, most recently, kidney tissue.
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here