Most people who buy a new printer today go for the all-in-one model that also has a scanner and copier. In the medical research our old ink printers have been given a whole new role. During a presentation back in September last year Anthony Atala, Director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University, showed how it could grow human organs.
The perhaps most astonishing about the presentation was the part when a regular ink printer was transformed into a tool for “printing” human tissue. Instead of ink it prints cells that is shaped into a heart directly inside the printer. In 45 minutes it has created one of our most vital organs and 4-6 hours later you can see the muscle cells activate.
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The prototype that was shown by Anthony Atala was simply a modified ink printer and offers some perspective to what is possible with current technology.
Fast forward to 10:50 to see the part with the printed tissue
Thanks to 3DBlaster for the tip!
