Print Your Own Kidney

Sometime earlier in the month, we talked about scientists having met with success when it came to manufacturing a kidney in the confines of a laboratory. Well, some of us are aware that when it comes to organ transplants, finding a match is hard enough, what more, getting enough donors. In fact, over 60,000 folks in the US are on the waiting list for organ transplants, and here we are with a potential solution for those who need a new kidney – growing cells in a lab which contain the characteristics of kidney cells.

In tests, these lab-grown cells were placed on an artificial renal device which sports a tubular component, collection system, and a reservoir, making it not too different from that of a bladder. Whenever the device was implanted in animals, the cells within could form kidney structures, and in the process, produce a urine-like fluid, which more or less makes it a successful mini-kidney of sorts. Following up on that success, researchers have worked on a printer which can print kidney cells into a 3D kidney prototype, now how about that? This 3D organ prototype will be printed layer by layer, and we look forward to future developments in this aspect. [Press Release]

Edwin Kee
Categories: Medical
Tags: 3D Printing, printer