We have written before, and I’m sure we’ll write again, the 2020’s is shaping up to be a transformative decade for healthcare. The sequencing of the genome and the development of a raft of technologies appears to be ushering in an era of personalised medicine. In a few decades, we might look back at the era of one-size-fits-all treatments as quite archaic.
This article covers the first clinical trial of a new technology – 3D printing an ear made from human cells. The new ear was successfully transplanted on to a patient born with a rare ear deformity.
Currently, these ears are constructed from rib grafts or synthetic materials. What is transformational about this story is that the ear was printed from the patient’s own ear cells. Using a patient’s own cells will make it far less likely to be rejected.
Broadening it out from this particular transplant, researchers are also working on 3D-printed lungs and 3D-printed blood vessels and believe that this technology will allow the printing of other body parts like noses and rotator cuffs. Separating what’s real and what’s hype in biotech is beyond our circle of competence – but we’re excited to keep watching and learning in this space.
This is an excerpt from our Thought Starters email. Once a week we send you 5 interesting articles that have caught our attention, to get you thinking. No spam, we guarantee.