I remember when I first heard that organs were being 3D printed, I was intrigued by the idea of bioprinting. I was skeptical to the idea that a machine could create something that only nature has been able to inexplicably create. But, I was also attracted to the concept. If we could 3D print vital organs, we could save many lives. I remember seeing a variation of this poster in the subway once, and it has impacted me ever since. After learning about the future of bioprinting, I am determined to reduce the donor waiting and help save more lives.
There was a remarkable article describing a feat accomplished by UCLA doctors. A 66 year old man had severe heart problems, but doctors 3D printed a model of his heart and made a bioprinted heart valve transplant. This was gratifying to read, and I want to somehow be part of that. I want to help and make a difference and not sadly watch people dying to wait for an organ. In this article by John Hopton, bioprinting could be the final solution to the long wait lists for organ donations. It is also less expensive than actual organ transplants, so it would benefit everyone regardless of economic status.
However, an article from ABC Science tells a different story. Susan Dodds claims that bioprinting transplants may actually increase the economic disparity of people. She believes that only the wealthy are able to pay for costly bioprinted medicine. Other ethical issues that she proposes are safety and human enhancement. If bioprinting become highly accessible, individuals, especially athletes, could get transplants that enhance their performance. Could this be justified? Also, Dodds questions the safety of printing and transplanting organs.
Additionally, in Fabricated, the authors explain that if we develop bioprinting, a possible issue is that illegal printers would make shoddy models of organs and sell them on the black market. Many innocent lives could be lost from infections as a result of bad organ prints. This problem would arise if design files and bioprinters were accessible to the public. Fabricated and Dodd’s article questioning the ethics of bioprinting make me wonder about this: How could 3D printers and design files be regulated? Most importantly, I want to learn more about the designing and printing processes. I am also curious as to how we will find a way to print living organisms.