Part of the problem with building a 3-D organ is mimicking the complex blood vessel structure both within the organ, and surrounding it which connects it with the rest of the body’s cardiovascular system. Earlier this year, the Chen Lab for BioNanomaterials succeeded in putting together a vascular system integrated within specimen tissue.
In short, the 3-D printer was able to print both the organ and the vessels needed to keep it functional as one unit.
This represents a huge breakthrough in 3-D organ replacement technology, leaving us closer than ever to utilizing 3-D printingto create a functioning major organ for a recipient.
Given the problems faced in finding suitable donor organs for people who need them, this work could lead to hundreds of thousands of lives being saved.
