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."

Comments

Awesome

[binarylarry]

HP's ink cartridges cost a kidney, new printer can actually print kidneys.

The circle of life is complete.

And how long

[Anubis350]

before we can print a new Milla Jovovich?

Re:And how long

[GodfatherofSoul]

The day before the end of civilization since no one will ever leave the house after that. Multipass!

Re:What?

[immortalpob]

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.

How this works

[currently_awake]

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 .

PC Load Liver

[Herg]

What the f@(% does that mean?

Re:Kidney shortage

[Mr. Slippery]

Do you own your own body? Or do you think the "state" is somehow "entitled" to own your own body.

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."