Researchers Can Now 3D Print A Human Heart Using Biological Material

3D printing technology can construct actual, working bridges on Earth, build elaborate decorative accessories for your home, produce prosthetics for amputees, and (unfortunately) manufacture working firearms. Although impressive, all these innovations have something in common: they are only producing inorganic, plastic-based material. What about organic materials, say, perhaps, human organs? Wouldn’t it be great if new organs could be printed out and used in surgical operations to save people’s lives? As it turns out, a group of Carnegie Mellon researchers have managed to do almost precisely this, producing models of a variety of human organs and body parts using a hacked 3D printer bought off the shop shelves. The new research, published in the journal Science Advances, demonstrates that it is possible to replicate the heart through 3D printing.

by Robin Andrews

Full Story: http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/human-heart-can-now-be-3d-printed-using-biological-material