A patient from Mexico was born with microtia, a rare congenital defect in which the pinna or the lateral part of the ear becomes small and malformed (which can also affect hearing in the ear). As research progresses, the technology could be used to manufacture many other replacement body parts, such as intervertebral discs, noses, knee menisci, rotating cuffs, and reconstructive tissue for breast mass resection, company executives said. Said. Further on, they say that 3D printing can produce much more complex and important organs, such as the liver, kidneys, and pancreas.
“This is very exciting. Sometimes I have to relieve myself a bit,” said Dr. Arturo Bonilla, a pediatric ear reconstruction surgeon in San Antonio who performed a female implant surgery. The trial was funded by 3D BioTherapeutics, but Dr. Bonilla has no financial interest in the company. “If everything goes according to plan, this will revolutionize the way this is done,” he said.
James Iatridis, head of the Spinal Biotechnology Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, said other 3D-printed tissue implants are in the pipeline but are unaware of other products being tested in clinical trials.
“3D cochlear implants are a proof-of-concept for assessing biocompatibility and shape matching and shape retention in living people,” said Dr. Iatridis.
Still, the outer part of the ear is a relatively simple appendage, cosmetic rather than functional, says Dr. Feinberg of Carnegie Mellon University. He warned that the road to solid organs such as the liver, kidneys, heart and lungs is still long. “Just moving from the ears to the spinal disc is a pretty big jump, but with the ears it’s more realistic,” he said.
The 3D printing manufacturing process creates 3D objects from digital models. This technique generally involves a computer-controlled printer depositing material on a thin layer to create the exact shape of an object.
