Thursday, May 12, 2016

3D printing organs

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Via Nature
My project was on 3D printing of biological matter, and organs. The technology is developing rapidly, although there has been no fully functional organs as of yet. Working tissue has been recently developed, and soon (next 5-10 years) we might be seeing full, functional organs. Both internal and external organs can be printed, although they use different methods and materials. There has been a debate, along with 3D printing legalities in general, on the ethics of the situation. Potentially, one could 3D print an entire human body. This would allow for the first artificial humans to be created. Some people don't want that. Also, the potential for body modifications grows and maybe instead of going to the gym to get ripped, you could visit your doctor and get your own muscle 3D printed just for you. There is not much research in the field as only 5 or so papers have been published by a few groups of scientists. The potential for this technology is great, as it could theoretically remove the need for organ donors entirely.

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