Future Vision
Bioprinting is the three-dimensional printing of biological tissue and organs through the layering of living cells. While this area of manufacturing is still in the experimental stage and is currently used primarily in scientific study rather than applied science, the possibility of creating functional replacement tissues or organs could one day transform medical treatment. This is why I have selected bioprinting to further investigate.
Just this past February, the term “bioprinting” officially became a word, entering Oxford dictionaries.[1] However, as Fabricated has taught me there is a lot more to the term than just the printing of biological tissue. In Chapter 10, I learned that first we must develop computers that act like nature in order to hack biological data through generative design. According to the author, “Not everyone would agree that an architect’s creative role as a designer should be to guide and orchestrate the application of biologically based algorithms to a design problem.” In this respect, the use of generative design makes 3D printing disruptive. If “generative design” is the process of forming 3D shapes and patterns using iterations of mathematical rules, then is the computer program or the human making the design?[2]
The other aspect behind bioprinting that raises even more questions is tissue engineering. In Chapter 7, the author states, “Our bodies are composed of thousands of different sorts of materials and today’s 3D printers can print just a few materials at a time. No one fully understands how to breathe the spark of life into artificial body parts. Engineering tissue remains a delicate and difficult activity.” This makes me ask when and how? When will 3D printing be able to print more materials like “organoids” and how can we breathe the spark of life into artificial body parts?[2]
Consulting Fabricated created the foundation for my questioning and made me optimistic for the future. In order to find out more about the current state of bioprinting, I consulted outside sources. First I want to know and actually see how organoids are made. I found a video on 3dprint.com where you can watch researchers create a beating, 3D printed heart organoid.[3] Next I want to know more about the “living ink” described in Fabricated. According to an article on 3dprinting.com, the first ever “bioink” has been used in the production of human cartilage.[4] Finally, I want to know if there are bioprinting applications to the most important organ in the human body: the brain. According to an article on 3dprinting.com, Dura mater has been 3D printed for use in brain surgery, allowing surgeons to implement a new method to recover the part of the brain that has undergone a surgical procedure.[5] While this research has shaped my key questions in the subject area, I have only begun to scratch the surface.
Resources:
1. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/bioprinting
2. , and . Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing. John Wiley & Sons, 2013. Books24x7.
3. http://www.3dprint.com/58602/3d-printed-heart-organoid/
5. http://www.3dprinting.com/bio-printing/3d-printed-dura-mater-is-used-in-brain-surgery/