From my perspective, there are three tiers of companies important to the realm of 3dPrinting
Tier 1.
The first are those companies creating and refining technologies related or peripheral to 3dPrinting. This includes companies like Bosystems Bespoke and Ortema which are fabricating 3d-printed prosthetic. Currently, these companies print entire synthetic limbs, but in the near future, their focus may shift to printing skeletal structures over which bio-printed organic materials may be added.
It also includes companies like Silicon Valley Instruments and numerous others, that are improving medical imaging technologies. These will allow doctors to digitize parts of the body with enough precision so that more patient-specific replacements can then produced. This instrumentation is analogous to the desktop 3d Scanner, but with nano-level precision. Lastly, improvements in small-scale surgery and regenerative medicine will be crucial in unleashing the potential of BioPrinting.
As for the former, companies like Laser Nanosurgery LCC are currently pitching at events like Mass challenge for start-up funds. When refined, they will allow for more precise removal, delivery of drugs, and preparation of the body area receiving the 3dPrinted transplant.
http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology/nanomaterial/nanobiomedicine_alist.php?page=2&letter=N
As for the latter, companies like MitoStem, among many others, are developing stem cells technologies. This is important because stem cells can rejuvenate other cells to which they are in close proximity, and transform themselves into the required cell types. This alleviates the level of uncertainty caused by the secondary effects of the surgical procedure. In other words, the former technologies minimize surgical damage to surrounding tissues and the latter stem cell technologies patch-up whatever damage does occur rapidly.
Tier 1 consists of many, many companies, currently numbering in the thousands.
Tier 2
Is the 3d-Printing companies themselves. Currently there are only three. (loosely defined)
The publicly traded Organovo which we have discussed in detail. This company current goal is to provide living materials on which we can test drug toxicity. This is what is known in the trade as the “official spiel”. Their long-term goals, revealed in their founder’s Ted Talks, are much more inspiring. This companies technology is being use in universities around the world and on a variety of applications.
Parabon Labs, also publicly traded, is developing what they call the Essemblix Platform in partnership with Johnson & Johnson. The scope of their printing, however is molecular rather than the tissue-level considerations of Organovo. The process involves nano-printing active drug compounds and their organic macro-molecular encasing. In other words they are printing very small substances, some of which are indistinguishable from substances that naturally occur in the human body. Additionally, they experimenting with using these molecules to “high-jack” DNA machinery into producing more of the desired substance.
This is the future of pharmacy.
Modern Meadow, founded by Andras Forgacs and his father Gabor Forgacs (founder of Organovo). This company’s aim to BioPrint market-ready 3d animal products. Their ultimate goal is to provide a healthier, and less environmentally-taxing alternative to meats from farm-raised animals. That is, cheap, 3d Printed meat that humans can consume. For the time being, they are focused on fabricating better leather products, as dermal cells are less complex than muscle cells.
Tier 3.
This Tier is for companies, organizations, and entrepreneurs investing in BioPrinting.
J. Craig Venter (Celera Genomics, a Quest Diagnostics subsidiary)
Johnson & Johnson
Pfizer is looking to buy a team that patented a 3d Printing Hair Restoration technology. (although it unclear if they’re being bought to suppress or actually propagate the method.)
The best example is Peter Thiel, PayPal founder and Billionaire who has outfitted Modern Meadow with at least 250,000 dollars in funding.
