Scientists 3D-Printing Cartilage For Medical Implants

Molly McHugh writes Scientists and physicians at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered a way to use MakerBot's 3D-printing technologies to create cartilage and repair tissue damage in the trachea. From the article: "Researchers found that it’s possible to use the MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental 3D Printer to print what’s called 'scaffolding,' made up of PLA, a bioplastic commonly used in in surgical implant devices. The team customized the printer so that living cells could be printed onto the scaffolding. The 3D-printed mixture of healthy cells found in cartilage, and collagen, eventually grew into the shape of a trachea that could be implanted into a patient."

Comments

Re:Ah, no.

[sandytaru]

No, they are. It's a 3D printed trachea. They 3D print the plastic scaffolding, and then they 3D print some incubated cells on top of the scaffolding, which they then incubate some more until it's ready to implant. They have a whole paragraph devoted to the "bio ink" made from cartilage cells.

To me the most fascinating tidbit was that they build the parts for the incubator itself with the MakerBot, saving many thousands of dollars.