Imagine being able to just print a new kidney for any person who needed it. The process of doing this is called bioprinting and it's not science fiction. It works similar to the way 3D-Printing does except they use cells to build tissue which could be used to save lives. Though not fully functional yet, the professionals working on it have been able to print some tissues. The machine builds these tissues layer by layer using hydrogels to support the structure or create voids. The machine will hopefully be able to create entire organs that could be transplanted into patients eventually, but this is not the only benefit this technology could have. If we were able to print tissues we need, it would eliminate the need for animal testing for drugs.
I think this technology would have an enormously positive effect on medicine especially if it was affordable. Organovo is the company that has been developing this process over the past few years. The only concern I have about this process would that it would be so revolutionary that a company that developed it could control the price and make it inaccessible to people who couldn't afford it. Medicine is a field that has evolved because of technology and I'm hopeful that bioprinting is another step in the right direction.
-Alex Wallace
"Bioprinting Process," organovo, 22 Oct. 2016, organovo.com/science-technology/bioprinting-process/
I thought this article was very interesting. I didn't even know this technology existed before reading this. I would add a picture though to make it more interesting.
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