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Kidney Printer
smitty777 writes "Dr. Anthony Atala of the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine demonstrated his technique for printing a new kidney. The early stage technology involves scanning the patient's current organ, and actually printing the organ directly into the patient. He refutes reported claims that it's just a kidney shaped mold, as reported by some. While still in the early stages, it does hold promise that we will be able to use this technology for actual transplants in the future."
HP's ink cartridges cost a kidney, new printer can actually print kidneys.
The circle of life is complete.
Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
before we can print a new Milla Jovovich?
"goodbye and hello, as always" ~Prince Corwin, from Zelazny's Amber series
just took on a whole new meaning.
Actually that sentence is terrible.. from the wake forest site: "Reports in the media that Dr. Anthony Atala printed a real kidney at the TED conference in Long Beach, Calif., are completely inaccurate. At the conference, Dr. Atala used a new type of technology to print a kidney-shaped mold and explained how one day – many years from now – the technology might be used to print actual organs."
So no real kidney, just a mold.
You take an inkjet printer, load the tank with (organ specialized) human cells and print the organ layer by layer with a filler material to hold it all together. The best source of human cells would be stem cells(made from that person to prevent immune system hazards), though taking cells from an existing kidney might work in some cases. It would work best done outside the body at least till the glue dries. Should work for most of the organs in the human body, including muscle and tendons. stem cell research is almost at the point this can be done, eliminating the need for donor organs. In theory this would work for bones as well, allowing you to print an arm or leg. In about 25 years we'll have the stem cell/printer tech to print a whole person with this tech (or build an android that looks/feels the same), though i'm sure that will be banned by the religious extremists. If AI ever works techno-nerds living in their parents basements will finally .
http://www.ted.com/talks/anthony_atala_printing_a_human_kidney.html
You can watch the actual video here.
3D Printing Tips and Tricks at Zheng3.com
No the correct solution is to not use ink but instead a toner based technology. Inkjets are pure garbage.
What the f@(% does that mean?
The much more obvious reason why there is a shortage of organs, and why organs are so expensive, is that it is illegal to sell one's own organs. An elderly person has no incentive to donate his organs on death, if his surviving loved ones do not profit from it.
See, someone less out of touch with reality who doesn't think capitalism solves all problems would suggest that you should have to opt-out of organ donation rather than opt in. That would solve the problem WITHOUT encouraging organ theft, desperate people selling their organs while still alive, and all sorts of other hideous abuses.
Oh, but wait, then it would be harder for anyone to make millions in organ trading... well then never mind, it's clearly socialism and that's evil.
"Just" a mold? I suppose penicillin is "just" a mold. You insensitive clod.
Oh, yeah, it's not easy to pad these out to 120 characters.
It gets the command to print a new kidney.
It reports that it will be ready it 48 hours.
It flies down to Mexico.
Some unsuspecting tourist wakes up in a bathtub of ice.
You get a new kidney.
when the alternative is certain death, yes, I and most people will happily take the organ.
I talked w/Dr. Atala at TED. He has printed real kidney fragments, implanted them in cows, and they've produced urine. The current limiting factor is nourishment for the kidney cells during the printing process. Thus, the 'total print time' is limited, which means he can make only small kidneys at the moment. He says the likely first application will be 'augmentation' kidneys for sufferers of kidney disease, not full replacements. And this is still years away. The device on stage at TED was his actual kidney printer, but I have no idea what it was loaded with during his talk. Perhaps some low-cost filler material rather than carefully (and expensively) prepared kidney cells or stem cells or whatever it is he prints up in the lab.
He would have gotten the technology a lot sooner but he didn't get much response to his add for the trial : "Scientist wants to scan your organ. Call Dr A. Atala Now. $$$ offered"
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
I had a friend on the waiting list for a kidney for many years so I certainly sympathize with your plight, but you misread the GP. Not a more immediate concern, but more immediate results. It will be years before the FDA allows you to implant a synthetic kidney, possibly decades. Before that, we need to produce a fully functional kidney, which is years to decades out as well. In the meantime, we can start producing fois gras next month, and get it approved for human consumption within a couple years (or days if we label it "herbal supplement"), money from which can go towards the synthetic kidney for transplants research. Solving tiny problems is the easiest way to eventually solve insurmountably large problems.
Changa hates change.
In the TED talk, he blames things like "we're living longer" for the shortage of organs.
Improvements in trauma medicine, vehicular safety, and workplace safety are the biggest causes for the shortage of organs.
Things like seatbelt laws, motorcycle helmet laws, and OSHA aren't helping either. Catastrophic fatal injuries (especially head trauma) are jackpots for donor organs. Crass, but true.
Your question is based on a false premise. Living bodies are not ownable.
"Your" body is the thing that does the verb that is you. Flight does not own an arrow, shining does not own the sun, a Em7 chord does not own a guitar. The action and the subject are inseparable.
Property, on the other hand, is a relationship that is separable. You do not own your body. So long as your body is being a living human being, no one does or can.
Once you are dead -- once your body is no longer being you -- by natural default the inanimate remains of your body are finders-keepers. It takes an act of the state to transform the unowned corpse that was formerly you into legally recognized property.
It's entirely appropriate for the state to say, "By default, we're going to transform part of this corpse into property in a way that helps save lives, by giving it to this doctor so that he can make those bit help do the verb that is someone else (at which point it will cease being property); and the remainder into property in a way that helps the decedent's family and friends deal with their grief by using it in some sort of funeral rites."
Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
You cannot wash away blood with blood