New York, NY -- This a question that is currently being posed by a company called Organovo who is based in California. The article, which appeared in the June 4 edition of the Daily Telegraph, indicated that the company has already been able to produce working human arteries.
The technology driving this research is comprised of 3-D laser printers which create the various parts needed. This new “‘bioprinter’” is able to put living tissue together. This is a very delicate operation obviously, and involves the use of two laser-based print heads. The living cells are transferred to thin sheets of gel for the process.
Each layer is placed in specific mould, called a “‘scaffold’” successively and the cells begin the process of fusing to each other.
According to Keith Murphy, Organovo’s chief executive, “‘Ultimately the idea would be for surgeons to have tissue on demand for various uses.’” To accomplish this, Organovo knows that researchers need to be given these bioprinters so they can print this tissue on demand.
