Problem How to manipulate material on a nano scale effectively? Limited supply of organs and tissue donations.

Bioprinting!

What is it? Simply a printer (yep…just like your computer) It is 3D though! Live cells are layered to create an organic structure What is bio-ink and bio-paper?

Bio-ink and bio-paper Bio-ink spheroid = aggregate of tens of thousands of cultured cells. Bio-paper gel = water and sugar based paper scaffold made out of collagen, gelatin, or other hydrogel.

Where does the ink and paper go? Works with three “ink” compartments just like a standard printer. Two compartments for different cell types and the third for biopaper.

Can’t buy this ink at OfficeMax The cells used to make the bioink can come from other animals (chickens have been used before to make blood vessels). Patient’s own stem cells MUCH better. Eliminates rejection from body. Internal structures naturally form on their own after printing has taken place.

Bioprinting in Action http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=g2ZTWHsO8l0

Bio Printing Advantages What can it do and how can it do it?

The Ink Can use polymers to create non living material or use adult stem cells, as well as embryonic cells, in the body as the ink to build Will be a large reduction of human immuno-respons, because the cells are from the host’s body Future of organ transplants, veins, and cartilage can be synthesized IE using it for dialysis using AV graft.

Prosthetics For You Prosthetics can now be a made to order thing. They can also use moving parts, increasing the realism of the prosthetic Use in bone repair and reconstruction IE Columbia University and Dentistry

Making Drugs From Scratch Since drugs are made up of organic molecules, can use specific organic synthesized molecules as in, thus making drugs University of Glasglow has made Ibprophin

Medical Revolution Change in Clinical trials: Can create specific organs to try out new medications, thus resulting in the elimination of animal testing. Future Surgical Procedures: Instant organ replacement Spray on or “print on” medical treatments IE Skin, Wake Forest Medical School

What Are The “Extreme Possibilities” Facial reconstruction Life extension Industrial Convergence between doctors, engineers and computer scientists

Complications

Fragility Embryonic stem cells are fragile Mixture of adult and embryonic Mostly embryonic Adult stem cells are harder to track down Embryonic can be cultured in a lab

Structures Certain organs are more complicated than others Vascularization, internal structure Cartilage may come soon Eventually bone, liver, etc.

Connections Difficult to connect the bioprinted tissue to the real tissue Blood vessels Currently the biggest issue

Rationale and Ethics Will it promote risky activities? Extreme sports, dangerous occupations, etc. Fast food, smoking, drugs, etc. Overstaying our welcome? Regular body maintenance (replacing old organs)

Check This Out !!!! ‘3D Printing and the Future of Stuff’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YYPJzeSj9Y

Sources http://www.explainingthefuture.com/bioprinting.html “Bioprinting for stem cell research” Savas Tasoglu and Utkan Demirci “Organ Printing” Callie Thomas