First 3D Printed Liver Expected In 2014 67
Lucas123 writes "After 3D printing has produced ears, skin grafts and even retina cells that could be built up and eventually used to replace defective eye tissue, researchers expect to be able to produce the first functioning organ next year. The organ, a liver, would not be for the purpose of human implant — that will take years to complete clinical trials and pass FDA review. Instead, the liver would initially be for development and testing of pharmaceuticals. The field of 3D printing known as organs on a chip, will greatly increase the accuracy and speed of drug development and testing, researchers say. The company producing the liver, Organovo, has overcome a major stumbling block that faces the creation of any organ: printing the vascular system needed to provide it with life-sustaining oxygen and nutrients. Typically, 3D printed tissue dies in the petri dish before it can even be used because of that. 'We have achieved thicknesses of greater than 500 microns, and have maintained liver tissue in a fully functional state with native phenotypic behavior for at least 40 days,' said Mike Renard, Organovo's executive vice president of commercial operations."
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Nah man, they'll never catch on. Do you have any idea how expensive it is to make a clone? Humans though - they're practically free, you couldn't stop them from self-replicating if you tried. Sure they get a little uppity from time to time, start talking about ridiculous things like "rights" and "freedom", but threatening to take away their TV privileges will usually shut them right up. And if not... well they're cheap, toss 'em all into the protein resequencer and get a fresh batch.
Good (Score:5, Funny)
Now, how long we /.ers can print a wife?
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GAAH! *until we*
why you no edit /. ?
Re:Good (Score:4, Informative)
Because Preview.
Re:Good (Score:4, Funny)
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You can print it until the legs and half a brain are done, then wife will attempt to escape and seek divorce. :)
Or maybe I misunderstood the question
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You forgot to encase it in a wet shoebox.
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Now, how long we /.ers can print a wife?
Why would you want one of those?? Hire a maid and find a "friend with benefits" and you don't have to put up with her nagging you and hiding your stuff ("well LOOK for it!") while spending your money. You can tinker with hardware and play video games and read and do anything you want.
A wife? No thanks. Now, my question is, why am I being discriminated against just because I'm single?
Fantastic! (Score:5, Funny)
3D printed livers?
Bottoms up, mates!
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A 500 micron thick liver isn't going to process much alcohol.
You're going to have to switch to non-alcoholic beer.
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But imagine a Beowulf cluster of these things!
(Also: Penis bird, Natalia Portman and hot grits. Get off my lawn: You're stepping on my liver.)
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You forgot this meme, you insensitive clod!
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Not yet. but could it be used to help heal a damaged liver? And how long before they can print blood vessels?
Re:Fantastic! (Score:4, Informative)
It's possible each layer printed can seamlessly connect to the next layer, given appropriate nutrients/conditions. I believe (bio class was a long time ago; I think it was when they were still teaching about the humours) that cells can communicate chemically and tell other cells, "hey, join up here". If all the correct cell types are in the mix, each layer should link up to form the necessary structures, especially if the focus is replacing damaged portions of an organ and not building the whole thing as one big lump.
It's too soon to say "Cirrhosis, shmirrohsis, I'll just buy a new liver at Wal-Mart[1]", but this step forward seems far from impractical.
[1]More socially-conscious types may prefer to shop at neighborhood businesses that produce locally-sourced organs printed using fair labor practices. But you'll pay more, and they're not open at 2 AM when you really NEED a new liver.
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A 500 micron thick liver isn't going to process much alcohol.
I suspect this individual [flickr.com] would disagree, and would heartily welcome this scientific advance.
News of the World (Score:1)
Re:News of the World (Score:5, Funny)
Yes, the News of the World was renowned for its stories on 3D printing and cutting-edge medicine. Why, barely a day would go by without finding the words "native phenotypic behavior" on practically every page.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K1sNDEaEFI [youtube.com]
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This site has turned into the successor to the News of the World.
Coincidentally, putting that one together with the comment above about 3D-printing a wife yields a familiar lyric: "She's the kind of a girl that makes The News of the World / Yes, you could say she was attractively built".
So, presumably, Pam will be printed with polythene.
nearly there. (Score:4, Insightful)
Not impressed. (Score:1)
When you can make me a glass of chianti and a side of fava beans with it, I'll be impressed.
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You've confused liver with brainz, dr. Lecter.
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It was liver [youtube.com].
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No, you're thinking of Hannibal, in which there is a horrifying scene involving an alive and aware Ray Liotta watching a piece of his brain being cooked. A dozen years later and I still can't get that scene out of my head.
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Why would they need immunosuppressant drugs?
What about skin? (Score:3)
when will they come up with 3D printed skin for burn victims? Take a few skin cells clone them, and create huge sheets of skin for new grafts.
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Skin grafts... (Score:1)
They can take skin samples, grow the skin in a suspension gel, then literally spray healthy skin cells onto your body. The healthy cells grow into place, leaving barely a scar where you originally had horrifying burns. It's been done; we literally have skin-repairing spray guns, even if the technology is too experimental for widespread consumer use yet.
Skin grafts. Heh.
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Livers? (Score:2)
Isn't the Liver one of the easiest organs to transplant and least difficult to acquire? You can get simply cut off a moderate part of a living donors liver and sew it into a recipient and both livers will grow back to normal size within weeks. It sounds like it will practically grow itself with the right mixture of nutrients. At least start off with something a little more difficult, like a thyroid gland or a segment of skin.
Huge news (Score:3)
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As an addendum to this, the anti-immune drugs themselves can kill the patient. "Least difficult to acquire" is also relative; the demand still exceeds the supply.
In other news... something really working (Score:2)
Allow me to remind that a few days ago we had ...
Wold First In-Man Total Artificial Heart Implantation [slashdot.org]
I'm not that much disapointed that my own submission didn't made the headlines on /. , but at least someone should have made it to the top with this information.
And when is the 3D printed Onions coming? (Score:3)
And when is the 3D printed Onions coming?
So does this mean we can.... (Score:3)
.... bring people back from death? Re: The Fifth Element.
Useless... (Score:2)