3D-printed sugar network to help grow artificial liver

3D-printed sugar network to help grow artificial liver

www.bbc.com

Researchers have moved a step closer to creating a synthetic liver, after a US team created a template for blood vessels to grow into, using sugar.

Scientists have long been experimenting with the 3D printing of cells and blood vessels, building up tissue structure layer by layer with artificial cells.

But the synthetically engineered cells often die before the tissue is formed.

The technology, in which a 3D printer uses sugar as its building material, could one day be used for transplants.

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Related News Links:
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A key point hear is this is a step closer, not an artificial liver, yet. I am glad this is showing promise though. Being able to grow artificial organs will be something very useful to health care, although be it there will be other issues created also. If an organ can be grown what about all the other parts of a human? Since it is being grown that will also mean it can be patented. So now to replace your liver you take out a loan to pay a corporation who is more then happy to put you on a twenty year payment plan.

www.bbc.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

My first thought was, sweet, we can drink to our heart's (another science experiment completely) content....but then saw the second response, and I just finished watching Repo men on scifi........now all I have to say is crraaaaaapppp (insert homer simpson voice)....Seriously though, I would have thought we would have been farther along in the organ growth technologies by now.....Oh wait, some of the better science based on this was stem cell research, and guess that has gotten a bad rap over the years.

reply to post by pointr97


pointr
thanks for posting. The repo men synaro is one that was thinking of also. Mostly because the individual organs could be covered under patent laws. Still I hope they will be able to get it to work because it will save lives.

reply to post by RedGolem


I agree completely.....i'm not one to think that advancing technology will ultimately lead to a nasty end.....I think we should advance as we can to help those around us, and those few that turn it evil will be thwarted by the masses.....We have seen a number of technologies develop that people feared would be misused, but those were diminished as they became part of our every day lives.

Well, stem cell research is hard to get to grow new organs. For one, is you focus on baby stem cells instead of adult stem cells, you have a harder time getting them to change into the needed cells to make a heart. Adult stem cells change easier, but the money, and controversy, is in the fetal ones.

But they are working on it, nonetheless: Here.