3D printing has revolutionized the industrial market within the past few years. But if you thought this innovative technology was just for the manufacturing industry, think again. Used for everything from printing tools to car parts, additive manufacturing is now being tapped for printing human body parts.
At the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in North Carolina, a 3D printing machine called the Tissue and Organ Printing System is pushing the limits of just how far medical technology can go. Using human cells in the place of ink, the 3D printer has successfully produced human ears, bones, and organs from the patient’s tissue.
The team at Wake Forest Institute has already implanted 3D printed tissue into animals. Though it could take years to get FDA approval to start surgically implanting these organs into humans, the majority of experts agree – it’s more a question of when than if.
