A firm called 3DBio Therapeutics has successfully transplanted a printed ear made from the patient’s own cells for the first time ever.
Their trial of 11 patients included a 20-year-old woman born with congenital microtia, a disease that left her with a misshapen ear.
The surgical team took a precise 3-dimensional scan of her other ear and used that to create the file used to print the new ear. The patient’s own stem cells were nestled in a “biolink” with collagen, printed, shipped via cold storage and then implanted under the skin.
The hope is that, in the future, they will be able to print other simple collagen-rich tissues like spinal discs and rotator cuffs.
We are intrigued by these technological and medical possibilities and hope that many folks can benefit from this innovation!
Hat tip: Good News Network
