Imagine a world where if you, for example, lost a kidney, liver, or even a heart, it wouldn't be a death sentence as it is today. How might you ask? New advancements in the field of 3D printing have allowed researchers to 3D print working human body parts. 3D printing is the process of laying down materials, layer by layer, to create a finished product. By adapting this process, researchers have used various biological materials called bio-ink to print working human tissues in a process called bioprinting. This technology has allowed researchers and doctors to open up a whole new method of treating diseases.

While 3D printing has been used traditionally with plastics and other inorganic materials for manufacturing purposes, Dr. Anthony Atala and his team at the Wake Forest Institute for regenerative medicine have adapted the 3D printing process with a so-called "bio-ink" to create human tissue. The bio-ink is made of a mixture of natural polymers, synthetic polymers, and human cells. Researchers first create a skeleton, "a scaffold" of an organ they want to print. They then print human cells into the scaffold, which then grows into an organ. The scaffold falls away, and the organ can be implanted into the body. 

The reason why 3D printing organs have not appeared is that it is hard to print an organ that matches the specifications of a complex organ. Dr. Atala and his team have successfully created bones, muscles, and cartilage using their Integrated Tissue and Organ Printing (ITOP) system, but they have not been able to 3D print an organ and the capillaries needed to sustain the organ. They have been successful in printing tissues that, when implanted in rodents, have been able to grow and thrive. More advancements in getting cells to self-organize and Dr. Atala's research will pave the way for more complex 3D printed working organs.

In my opinion, while this technology will have massive benefits, such as curing many diseases, and allowing people to live longer, it also has drawbacks. First, the wealthy could exploit this technology, only people with enough money can afford the technology, and they might make it more expensive to gain a profit. It could also be devastating for the human race. If people can just replace an organ whenever they need to, they will probably live much longer. This will lead to overpopulation and a depletion of the Earth's resources. What might seem good from an individual's perspective can have harmful effects on the whole of society.

With new breakthroughs in bioprinting, we will soon be able to replace broken down organs and cure diseases. While having huge benefits for people, it might cause huge problems for society. Still, the thought of just replacing a heart or liver seems like science fiction, but in reality, we aren't far off.

Works Cited

“Tech 2020: What’s Coming in Biomedical Engineering.” Online Engineering Programs. SECHEL VENTURES, 2019. onlineengineeringprograms.com/features/tech-2020-biomedical.