The area of 3D printing that is of a particular interest to me is Bioprinting.There are several reasons why I chose to research this specific topic. I grew up listening to conversations about medicine at the dinner table (some of them I would prefer not to discuss while eating). Both of my parents are gifted and dedicated doctors and my only sister is a recent med school graduate. Although I chose a different career path for myself, I have a strong belief in the power of medicine and the importance of its advancement through research and innovative procedures.

One of the biggest challenges that doctors and scientists are now facing is aging population. Dr. Anthony Atala at Wake Forest Institute, one of the pioneering researchers in regenerative medicine, stated the main problem during Ted Talks  back in 2010: “As we are getting older, our organs start to fail.” The statistic he cited is truly shocking: “Every 30 seconds a patient dies from diseases that could be treated with tissue regeneration or replacement.” He then proceeds to answer the question: Why can’t humans regenerate? The answer is – we actually can. Our bones regenerate every 10 years and our skin – every two weeks! The challenge here lies in the limited distance of only 0.4 inches of such possible regeneration.One of the ways to overcome the limitations of cell regeneration is through organ engineering.

My secondary research found that medical scientists noticed opportunities that the new 3D technology offered traditional medicine in the early 1990s. The presentation that Dr. Atala gave 4 years ago clearly shows how much progress have been achieved ever since. In this Ted Talk, he first mentions experimental research in 3D printing, that was then not- for-use in patients. He mentions one of the strategies of engineering the most complex, highly vascularized, blood supplying organs – printing them utilizing cells instead of ink. In that particular research Dr. Atala showed experimental printing of a two-chamber heart, whose muscles contracted after it was printed out. The hall applauded as images of the 3D printed contracting heart were broadcasted.

Although scientists’ progress in bioprinting is truly amazing, the truth is – bioprinting is still in its early stage of development. The questions that I have and would like to address in my blog posts are: how close are we to actually implementing the bioprinting technology? How will the healthcare industry change with its implementation? How will our perception of our own bodies change once we are able to print organs on demand? Will the effect of the new technology be positive or negative?