Organ Printer

By Michael DaSilva
What is the organ printer
An organ printer
incorporates 2
technologies, tissue
engineering and a 3D
printer.
Instead of paper, Petri
dishes are used.
Instead of ink, cells and
chemical called a
crosslinker are used.
The cells are individually
made for the patient.
Tissue Engineering
Basis of the organ printer.
Tissue engineering is the manipulation of cells
in order to fix or replace a biological function.
Main goal is to create artificial organs.
This is what lead to the development of the
organ printer.
3D Printer
A printer that basically
makes a 3D model.
Used a lot for rapid
prototyping.
Can construct objects out
of a given material.
Used to make prototypes
of new products.
Some machines are even
used to make the final
product.
How it works
The Petri dish is filled with
water.
When the printer prints the
crosslinker transforms the
water into a Jell-O like
substance which allows the
cells to be put in.
Once one dish is filled, a new
one is placed on top of it.
This method is repeated until
the organ that you want is
created.
Once the organ is constructed,
the Petri dishes are removed
and all that is left is the organ.
How the cells are taken for the ink
A small skin biopsy is
taken from the patient.
The fibroblasts from the
skin are then isolated and
cultivated in vitro.
These fibroblasts are then
reprogrammed into the
organ cell that is needed.
These reprogrammed
cells are then used as the
ink for the organ
printer.
Benefits
Most organs can be made using this method,
as long as the fibroblast can be reprogrammed
to be that organ cell.
No organ rejection will occur because it will be
the patients own DNA.
Can by pass the organ donor list.
Can be used to treat anyone since the organ is
made for the individual.
Cons
Still very expensive.
The organ that is being made can die if no
blood vessels are created within the organ.
Creating these blood vessels requires certain
stem cells which are expensive.
Still takes a long time to actually make the
organ.
Not being used in practice yet, still trying to
work out the kinks.
Future
Minimize the cost of the process so that the
machines can be available for everyone.
Get it out of the clinical trials and actually be
using by doctors.
Make it more time efficient and be able to
create whole organs within hours.
Conclusion
Organ printers are just modified 3D printers
that have been outfitted to make human
organs out of living cells.
There are several benefits, a major one being
no chance of organ rejection.
In the future this procedure will hopefully be
less expensive and more widely available.
Questions?