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If you needed an organ transplant, would you accept a 3D-printed organ? This is a question from a recent Keypoint Intelligence poll, and the results are quite surprising. While 39% of people said “Yes,” only 16% outright refused. Despite the obvious initial uncertainty indicated by the poll results, the 3D printing of human organs—or “bio-printing”—is already changing the way we handle transplant needs and will become commonplace within the next decade.
In the United States, there are over 100,000 men, women, and children on the National Organ Transplant waiting list. Living donors provide around 6,000 organs a year on average, whilst around 8,000 deceased donors provide roughly four organs each year. More significantly, 17 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant, and another person is added to the list every nine minutes—particularly for kidney transplants. Demand outstrips supply, which is why researchers are exploring the possibility of utilising 3D printing to close the current gap and provide an alternative solution.
“There is no practical reason why those who need an organ shouldn’t get one,” says Martine Rothblatt of United Therapeutics, and bio-printing could be the answer to the shortage and general unsuitability of some natural specimens.
So, How Does It Work?
A small needle biopsy of the required organ is taken so that the necessary cell tissue can be extracted. Doctors are then able to tease the relevant cells apart from the tissue to grow the organ outside of the body. The growing phase happens in a sterile incubator where doctors monitor progress and feed them. During this phase, a “glue-like” substance is added to bind the cells together. Usually made of collagen, the glue is non-toxic, biodegradable, and biocompatible to avoid a negative immune response once the organ is in use.
The “bio-ink”—the cells and binding ink from the incubator—is then loaded into the 3D printing chamber. X-rays and scans of the intended patient enable personalised properties to be incorporated onto the printed organ. The printing process usually takes a few hours to complete, depending on the fineness of the resolution and the number of print-heads in use, and the overall timeframe of the process is as little as 4-6 weeks. Of course, the real test comes in the form of making sure the bio-printed organ functions as it should once implanted in the body. This includes making sure the cells fuse the organ in the body once the glue has decayed.
Bio-Printing in Action
In 2021, a British man became the first patient in the world to be fitted with a 3D-printed eye. Fitted at the Moorfield Eye Hospital in London, the prosthetic is fully digital and more realistic than other alternatives so that there is greater definition and depth in the pupil. The new eye can be developed in half the time it takes to develop other alternatives and can be personalised to better match the patient’s other eye. Although not yet available, clinical trials for prosthetic bio-printed eyes are promising and highlight a huge leap for the combining of 3D printing and medical prosthetics.
Keypoint Intelligence Opinion
Although many in the industry are conservative in their estimates for when medicine can transition fully to bio-printed organs, their continued development—and apparent success—is a great indication of optimism in them as a viable alternative for transplant patients. Accessible and cost-effective, they can also help to ease the distress and pressure placed on the body from other related procedures, such as dialysis.
3D printing capabilities are already significantly altering the way we mass produce designs that were not previously possible to create. The fusion of medicine and 3D printing is yet another marvel that will make cures more readily available and ultimately save lives. The next ten years will be a fascinating time in the full establishment of this technology, and maybe then many will change their answer to the poll question set out at the start of this blog.
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