New discovery brings us closer to 3D printing major organs

There has been talk about the potential of 3D printing in medicine for some time now. At present, it’s not yet possible to print a large, healthy organ, because it takes too much time, killing some cells. A new technology can prevent this.

The development belongs to scientists from UC Berkeley. They achieved their goal by changing the printing method, while also using a cryogenic camera and a robotic arm.

With this new technology, organs aren’t printed all at once (as was the case with previous versions), instead they are created layer by layer. Each new layer is placed inside a cryogenic camera which prevents cell death. Layers are transported by the robotic arm. Afterwards, layers are combined to create a functioning organ.

This printing method may not be unique, but no one has ever tried to use it for organ printing before, and building complete systems was impossible until now. Scientists are continuing with their research, hoping to rectify the situation in the near future.