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Biotech Technology

A New Biopaper for Organ Printing 125

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the 98.6-off-the-presses dept.
Roland Piquepaille writes "Organ printing is an emerging branch of medicine which uses healthy cells to repair a damaged or diseased organ. But as its name implies, this new medical technology needs ink, paper and a printer. Now, a new hydrogel -- or biopaper -- developed at the University of Utah has been selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to speed up this process. This five-year NSF study will initially try to print blood vessels and cardiovascular networks. But its real goal is to build some complex organs, such as livers or kidneys. This technology can potentially help millions of people waiting for transplants."
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A New Biopaper for Organ Printing More

A New Biopaper for Organ Printing

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  • This just in - rare screenshot of printed organ (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 07, 2005 @05:48PM (#13974298)
    Here's a screenshot of a printed colon

    :

  • Organ printing, eh? (Score:5, Funny)

    by TinBromide ( 921574 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @05:48PM (#13974302)
    According to my e-mail inbox, i don't need to print a new one, all i need to do is just go to thier website and use a cream or pills or something and i can enlarge my organ to beyond "be1 eef" or something...

  • Really now ... (Score:3, Funny)

    by s20451 ( 410424 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @05:48PM (#13974306) Journal
    What I want to know is, how long before a couple of nerds try this [imdb.com] obvious application of the technology?

  • artwork (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Janitha ( 817744 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @05:49PM (#13974317) Homepage
    How long before this will be used for artwork? Designer Tissues. I can't wait for that day.

    I want my tux logo printed this way.
    • How long before this will be used for artwork?

      You don't need a printer to produce that kind of art [walkerart.org].

      (ps: that dress was dried out and now appears in an art gallery in Paris.)
      • (ps: that dress was dried out and now appears in an art gallery in Paris.)

        Until some janitor [worldnetdaily.com] mistakes it for some leftover jerky.

    • Re:artwork (Score:4, Interesting)

      by BWJones ( 18351 ) * on Monday November 07, 2005 @06:00PM (#13974421) Homepage Journal
      Well, in a sense, we already are. I know Glen (the creator of the biogel in the linked article), and one of the problems they are going to have is determining the identity of cells within complex tissues that were previously thought to be homogeneous. It turns out that kidneys (and many other appearing homogeneous tissues) are actually incredibly complex. New methodologies in tissue identity and tracking need to be applied here and we have the tools. Check out some of the images generated by these tools here [utah.edu].

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • of this over, say, growing organs in either the lab or in animals like pigs? The latter sounds feasible, the former really sounds like something out of a Sci-Fi novel that may come true 50 or 100 years from now, if that. (Reminds me of the nano-tech....)

    I could see the practicalities for something like skin but livers and kidneys?

    • Re:What is the benefit (Score:4, Interesting)

      by smashin234 ( 555465 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @06:02PM (#13974447) Journal
      They do mention in the article that complex organs such as a liver or a kidney are a long way off. It does sound like science fiction, but if they can at least start with what they claim :

        "I believe in five years we're going to be able to print simple organs, such as a cardiovascular network or a urethra,"

      I think that it is a good step to actually growing organs for people. Just because something is science fiction today doesn't mean it will be in the future.

      Of course, the longetivity and compatibility of the organs is always the largest hurdle when dealing with transplants in general. Just like in transplants, these two issues will be paramount in new endeavors. My question is, how long do these organs really last? That is the largest question on whether this will stay science fiction or if it will become routine procedure in 10 years. If the complex procedure only lasts 5 years, it may be more worthwhile to get an actual transplant.
      • Yeah, I just thought about that too. I would imagine rejection would be much lower if they use one's own cells and thus the immune system wouldn't have to be artificially weakened through pills - you don't get that benefit through organ farming....
      • Depends.
        This technology can potentially help millions of people waiting for transplants.
      • It's your own cells, so it's compatible. Longetivity should be likewise OK.

        A bigger problem might be printer resolution. An eye made with lots of jaggy edges or dithering is not going to be a nice eye, though it would fill the hole in your head.
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • I'd say in front-line medical situations. Need something for transplant *now*? You could print one a lot faster than getting lab equipment or a pig in to grow one from scratch. Yes, it will still take time to fully develop but will be a lot faster than trying to get one shipped in.

    • organization? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Quadraginta ( 902985 )
      I don't know, but I have a guess based on tangential conversations with biologists: see, the problem is, how do you tell the cells, even if they're willing to divide and grow, to organize themselves into some macroscopic shape, like a sac with tubes and various layers? They don't response to yelled commands, you know. And each cell doesn't exactly have a Master Blueprint in its DNA with its own role marked off in red ink.

      As much as I can tell, large organ growth in the living organism is directed by compl
      • I don't know, but I have a guess based on tangential conversations with biologists: see, the problem is, how do you tell the cells, even if they're willing to divide and grow, to organize themselves into some macroscopic shape, like a sac with tubes and various layers? They don't response to yelled commands, you know.

        Your cells lack discipline! I'm going to ask them a bunch of questions, and I want to have them answered immediately! /Ahnuld
      • But if you're trying to grow an organ in a tank, without any surrounding complex bath of growth factors et cetera, it's not likely the environment will be right to direct the growth of the cells, so you're just going to get a pile of unorganized flesh, not a fresh gleaming liver ready to plug in.

        Hey.. Stop talking about that! Can't you see I'm eating a scrapple [wikipedia.org] sandwich here?!?

  • Oh good! (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Oh good! Now I don't have to stop drinking like a fish, they can just print me a new liver.

  • The hitch with this technology (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 07, 2005 @05:53PM (#13974357)
    The cartridge included with the printer runs out half way through a kidney, and then you find out the replacement cartridge costs $73,489 dollars.

  • Good and Bad news about this technology. (Score:3, Funny)

    by Orrin Bloquy ( 898571 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @05:56PM (#13974383) Journal
    Good: I can finally get a working version of my pancreas.

    Bad: when I close my eyes all I can see is "PC LOAD LETTER" blinking.
  • ...from Deseret News here [deseretnews.com]
  • I wonder if I could get them to print me a new scalp with hair that doesn't fall out? :-)

    • Brain (Score:2)

      by r00t ( 33219 )
      You can get a new brain, or just some replacement sections.

      Proper printing will allow for useful knowledge, including memories. Your new brain will have to be 100% politically correct of course, as determined by the ethics committee.
  • Prestwich's research into hydrogels has had some other benefits, too... look what a quick Googling turned up:

    Prestwich's lab page [utah.edu]

    More info on the cancer drug delivery mechanism [utah.edu] -- not a scientific explanation, more of a press release similar to TFA.

  • Oops (Score:4, Funny)

    by dustball23 ( 309393 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @06:09PM (#13974518)
    "Sorry about the dimensions of your new organ. We couldn't get the printer off 'Landscape mode'".
    • "Sorry about the dimensions of your new organ. We couldn't get the printer off 'Landscape mode'".

      "On the other hand, all the women here love the size of it."
  • I can think of a few organs that I'd like to print... But is it USB 2.0 compatible?

  • gives a new meaning... (Score:5, Funny)

    by conJunk ( 779958 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @06:15PM (#13974568)
    gives a new meaning to "tissue paper", eh?

    sorry... sorry...

  • If you're going to be printing new 'organs', why not go all the way and use legal-sized paper?

    The only question is, should you use black ink to keep it realistic?
    • I just hope they'll use the modern A4 standard instead of some weired size.

      To answer your second question... yes, you'd probably have to use black ink, as just mentioning white gets you labeled as a racist nowadays.

  • Zombie conspiracy! (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 07, 2005 @06:18PM (#13974598)
    Biopaper == Fruit roll-ups for zombies!!

  • in 100 years time (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Enviro ( 852343 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @06:20PM (#13974621)
    humankind will be working on printing an entire human body and assembling it. Forget sequencing the human genome, printing an entire human and getting it to function would be the greatest achievment of mankind..... Well you never know!

  • Printing Food! (Score:5, Funny)

    by TheNarrator ( 200498 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @06:25PM (#13974654)
    Could we use this to print really fine cuts of beef for pennies? Being a geek, I find this particularly interesting because it means I could cook without leaving my computer.

  • Artificial lungs (Score:3, Interesting)

    by G4from128k ( 686170 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @06:27PM (#13974663)
    With printed blood vessels on thin sheet and a bit of folding, they could get a nice surface area to volume ratio for an artificial lung. I could also see making gills, but I doubt that a man-size warm-blooded organism can get enough O2 in water.
    • Well, there is the salmon shark of the northern Pacific Ocean, it has an internal body temperature of almost 70F (and they live in water temperatures from 41F to 64F) . They're not only one of the fastest sharks alive, but have been measured to as long as 11.5 feet. The warmblooded tendacies was only recently documented, however. http://www.conservationinstitute.org/salmonsharks . htm [conservati...titute.org]
    • You'd need to know how much of the ~25% oxygen in the atmosphere we actually use with each breath and release as unused fuel + waste gas. Then you could figure out the approximate surface area you'd need for gills to supply enough oxygen to the human body. Just a comic-book guess, but that's what'd seem the most logical.

  • Paper Jam (Score:4, Funny)

    by Lars83 ( 901821 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @06:27PM (#13974664)
    And I thought my P.O.S. Epson 777 made a mess when it jammed....imagine the scene when a spleen gets stuck in there.
  • I assume this same technology could be used to print food. How about a 2 by 4 strip of fresh wood? A living cell replicator is actually going to be developed before a generic molecular replicator? Actually, it makes sense that this would be the case now that I think about it.
    • You can't use it to "print" a hamburger unless you use hamburger "ink." This thing takes cells as its raw material and basically layers them to make the tissue you want - they used the example of stacking donuts of cells, which grow together into a continuous blood vessel.

      This only works because the cells are alive and can start functioning together. So you can't use it to make a wooden 2x4 or a beef patty or a sharktooth necklace or whatever. The bits wouldn't stick to each other because they wouldn't g
    • Use cells from a cat to print a dog!

  • Secret tracking codes (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Patola ( 106158 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @06:36PM (#13974745) Homepage
    Will they embed secret codes [eff.org] for personal tracking and identification in these printers too?

  • How long do you want to live? (Score:4, Informative)

    by Palal ( 836081 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @06:36PM (#13974748) Homepage
    This will potentially allow us to live as long as we want. We'd just pop in a new part every time something goes out. The great mystery is the brain transplant.

  • MEAT (Score:5, Interesting)

    by timeOday ( 582209 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @06:47PM (#13974848)
    I would be very happy if they just came up with a way to make cheap, high quality filet mignon without raising a whole cow. Cows really take up a lot of space, a lot of feed, and produce a lot of gasses (no, seriously). Plus there's the whole slaughterhouse scene. Good cultured meat would save us money and open up meat-eating (OK, and heart disease) to a lot of poor people around the world. The quality could be even better than natural, with super-fine fat marbling and no big bloody veins. Plus it should be relatively easy to do, since synthetic meat doesn't even have to be a functioning organ... it just has to be close enough to fool my tastebuds. And while we're dreaming, bring on the affordable hormone-free milk...
  • One of the things that cells do extremely well is to figure out where they're supposed to go and what they're supposed to turn into. When injecting stem cells into existing parts of the body, they nicely migrate according to chemical signals and begin transforming into the appropriate type of cell.

    The hope is that people will understand the chemical signals well enough so that they can take stem cells from a person's body and induce them to transform into the proper organ type. This doesn't address str
  • Will the ink refilling industry be as big here as in traditional printers?
  • 1) Webcam scans you at origin.
    2) Scan data is beamed to destination.
    3) Printer at destination makes a copy of you.
    4) Frickin' laser on webcam kills original.

    Well, it's a start!
    • As far as I know this is what most teleportation devices are doing in the SciFi world.

      On StarTreck (I'm might get flamed by treckies for being incorrect), you are basically scanned and your molecules are destroyed while being scanned.
      Then a data stream is send over a remote site and the data is converted back into molecules.

      There is even an episode in TNG where number One (forgot his name) is found to have clone from many years back when his data stream bounced back and he got re-assembled at the point of o
      • And why, when they are beaming a red shirt down, don't they keep a backup of the data so Kirk never loose a man.

        Because of data degradation in the buffer, silly. ;)

        <OT>One thing is apparent from watching Voyager - they don't have tape drives (or RAID) on Federation Star ships. The number of times they almost lost the doctor for one reason or another seems to indicate that backup was done away with at some point in Star Treks history... </OT>
      • "And why, when they are beaming a red shirt down, don't they keep a backup of the data so Kirk never loose a man."

        Because the duplicates are always evil.

  • Arteries will not be simple to print (Score:5, Informative)

    by Morris Schneiderman ( 132974 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @08:04PM (#13975422)
    Starting as a geek with 25 years of software development and project management, I've spent the past year applying that project management experience to looking at the interaction between the heart and the arteries. And I can tell you that arteries are not simple.

    First, artery walls are seven (7) layers thick. That's seven distinct types of cells and structures to print.

    Second, the old theories viewed arteries merely as passive pipes connecting the heart to the capillaries. But as far back as 1733, Hales understood that the arteries are pumps. He saw them as passive pumps, expanding when blood was pumped into them, and then contracting due to their elastic membranes after each heartbeat. Observations made 50 years ago by McDonald and now being reinterpreted in light of additional data strongly suggests that the arteries are active pumps. (I'll spare you the details, but it adds at least an order of magnitude to the complexity of the 'image'.)

    Third, there are at least two sets of nerves that run through the outer wall of the arteries, the sympathetic and parasympathetic. These nerves seem to exert control over the contraction and relaxation of the smooth muscle in the artery wall. We don't yet understand the intricacies of the processes that control the phasing of those contractions and relaxations, but degredation in those control processes seems to be the mechanism behind the development of heart failure. While these nerves will have to be 'printed' and 'wired up' (no USB connections), it's not clear that their connections to the brain are the only contol paths. There may well be other, currently unknown, 'jumpers' that are needed. Closed source software isn't the only thing with undocumented APIs.

    So, there are reasons why teflon tubing is not being used as a replacement for arteries. And those reasons will make it hard (but not necessarily impossible) to print arteries. I wish them well. But don't hold your breath. Do take care of your body - it's the only one you have and will continue to be so for quite a while yet.

    Morris

  • Long ago [wikipedia.org].

  • Questions for fundies (Score:5, Funny)

    by AndroidCat ( 229562 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @08:42PM (#13975668) Homepage
    Does life begin when the printer stops, when the job hits the printer buffer, when it's queued, or when the user clicks the Print button? Should canceling a print job be a crime?

  • Two new possibilites (Score:3, Funny)

    by Circlotron ( 764156 ) on Monday November 07, 2005 @09:04PM (#13975778)
    1/- Identity theft will take on a whole new dimension. 2/- "Second hand" shops will start springing up everywhere.
  • Hi, any legal out there that can help me out, I want to patent the following templates right away:

      8=>, (.) (.) , V please extended patten to include various fonts (wingdings exlcuded) and point sizes. Please note, these templates are not WYSIWYG.
  • Yeah, but.. are there Linux drivers for it?

  • The article doesn't say what kind of cells are in the ink. Are they stem cells or what? I think stem cells need some sort of environmental coaching to get them to turn into something specific. But since this tissue is being grown outside the body it seems like they would have to use cells that already know what they are -- liver cells to grow livers, etc. But then I would expect they would have to get the cells from the recipient or risk rejection. Wish there was more info about that.

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